Finding solutions for difficult areas to build new rural areas in Nghe An
New rural construction is one of the important targets set out in the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress, term 2020 - 2025. This is a task that has been directed by Party committees and authorities from the province to the grassroots level with focus and determination. In addition to positive results, reality is also posing a number of difficulties that need to be resolved.
Nearly 80% of communes meet new rural standards
The Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress sets a target that by 2025, 82% of communes in the province will meet new rural standards (of which 20% will meet advanced new rural standards, 5% will meet model new rural standards) and 11 district-level units will be recognized for completing the task of building new rural areas, meeting advanced new rural standards (of which 1 district will meet model new rural standards).
In addition to the important targets of the congress, the rural development program is of a comprehensive nature in terms of socio-economic development, security and order, and political system building; so this is a task that is directed by the Party Committee and government from the provincial to grassroots levels with focus and determination.
Comrade Nguyen Van Hang - Deputy Head of the Office of Coordination of the Nghe An New Rural Program said: The Provincial Party Committee has issued Directive No. 13, dated December 3, 2022 on continuing to accelerate the progress and improve the quality of new rural construction in the period of 2021 - 2025 in the province. The Provincial People's Council issued Resolution No. 24, dated December 13, 2020 on a number of policies in new rural construction in Nghe An province, period 2021 - 2025. The Provincial People's Committee issued many decisions and plans for implementation, including promulgating specific contents and criteria for districts, communes, villages and hamlets to achieve new rural, advanced new rural, and model rural areas; attaching annual target registration to each locality and organizing regular inspections and urging.
Accordingly, each provincial department, agency and sector, based on its functions and tasks associated with the content of the new rural criteria, has issued documents guiding localities in implementation. Local Party committees and authorities have issued resolutions, projects and plans, mobilizing the entire political system to participate, especially arousing the role and will of self-reliance of the "subject" which is the people in the homeland and the intellectual and material resources of children living far away from home. It is the determination and mobilization of the combined strength to join hands in building the new rural areas that has made a movement in implementing the program in each locality.
As in Quynh Luu district, on the way to achieving rural district status, entering the 2020 - 2025 term, the locality continues to improve the district-level new rural criteria and directs communes to build advanced new rural areas, model new rural areas, focusing on improving the quality of life of people both materially and spiritually, building a rural environmental landscape: green - clean - beautiful.
Comrade Nguyen Xuan Dinh - Vice Chairman of Quynh Luu District People's Committee said: By the end of 2024, Quynh Luu district had 6/24 communes meeting advanced new rural standards (data of communes after merger), 2 model new rural communes; at the same time, resolutely directing 4 communes to meet advanced new rural standards in 2025, creating a premise to build the district to meet advanced new rural standards in 2028.
Also from the foundation, lessons learned in building and achieving new rural district standards, from the beginning of the 2020-2025 term, the Party committees and authorities at all levels in Nghi Loc have focused on building an advanced new rural district. By the end of 2024, Nghi Loc district had completed 4/9 criteria with 24/36 contents of an advanced new rural district. The whole district has 17/28 communes meeting advanced new rural standards and 1 commune meeting model new rural standards.
Calculating the implementation results by the end of 2024, the whole province has 327/411 communes (data of communes before the merger) meeting new rural standards, accounting for 79.56% of the total number of communes; 127/328 communes meeting advanced new rural standards, accounting for 38.71% of the number of communes meeting new rural standards; 25 communes meeting model new rural standards, accounting for 7.62% of the number of communes meeting advanced new rural standards. There are 11 district-level units meeting the standards and completing the task of building new rural areas, of which Nam Dan district has been assessed by the province to meet the criteria of an advanced new rural district and is completing the dossier to submit to the Central for assessment.
Looking at the targets of the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress and the ability to implement the new rural construction program in 2025, the results of new rural construction in the 2020-2025 term, it is expected that the whole province will achieve and exceed all 4 indicators of the number of communes meeting new rural standards, advanced new rural areas, model new rural areas and the number of district-level units achieving/completing the task of new rural construction.
Need solutions for difficult areas
Besides the common efforts and results, the new rural construction program is not uniform; mountainous areas and ethnic minorities are achieving very low rates. For example, Ky Son district currently has only 1/21 communes; Que Phong district has 1/12 communes; Tuong Duong district has 4/16 communes; Quy Hop district has 6/20 communes meeting new rural standards...
The difficulty that localities have to share is implementing some criteria on income; reducing multidimensional poverty rate; residential housing; transport infrastructure, cultural facilities, education, etc.
Regarding Chau Cuong commune (Quy Hop district), although in recent years, the local Party Committee and government have made many innovations in leadership and direction, creating new developments in infrastructure such as electricity, roads, schools, stations, offices and shifting crop structure, increasing labor export; however, according to comrade Luu Xuan Diem - Secretary of the Commune Party Committee:
Bringing the commune to the new rural standards is still a difficult story. It is difficult because the current average income in the locality is only 36.58 million VND/person/year, while the income requirement for the new rural criteria in 2024 must reach 45 million VND/person/year and this level is adjusted to increase annually. Meanwhile, the solution to "push" the average income per capita up in Chau Cuong commune - where more than 91% of the population are ethnic minorities - is very difficult.
Although the locality has clearly identified the most optimal direction to increase people's income is to change the structure of crops and livestock, to create changes in people's thinking, awareness, and production habits, it takes time and strong propaganda and mobilization of the people.
Also sharing the difficulties in income targets, comrade Nguyen Huu Hien - Vice Chairman of Tuong Duong District People's Committee informed: Currently, the average income per capita of the district reaches 40.6 million VND/person, in which some localities reach less than 30 million VND/person/year. On the other hand, the requirement for a commune to achieve new rural status must ensure a multidimensional poverty rate of less than 10%, while the poverty rate of the district is 25.22%, with some communes having 30 - 40% poor households.
From the reality of Ky Son district, comrade Nguyen Van Truong - Head of the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: The large mountainous area, complex terrain, and limited flat land area are posing many difficulties in implementing criteria on transportation, cultural facilities, education, electricity, etc. Besides, the criteria for residential housing meeting new rural standards is also a difficult problem.
The problem is that there must be more drastic solutions. Currently, according to opinions from the grassroots, the support and investment policies for the development of mountainous areas and ethnic minorities from the Central and provincial levels are quite large. The most important thing is to pay attention to arranging and increasing qualified, capable and experienced cadres in mountainous areas to improve human resources for new rural construction.
Along with that, all levels need to innovate propaganda and mass mobilization work to create changes in awareness of the role of "subjects" of the people, overcome the mindset of "waiting and relying" and must truly participate in building new rural areas; change in thinking, production and business practices, associated with solutions to create jobs and increase income for people, one of the core and goals of building new rural areas.
