Yen Thanh: The results of the new rural program are the product of the entire people and the entire political system.

10 years ago, when starting to implementNational Target Program on New Rural Construction, due to its low starting point, Yen Thanh encountered many difficulties in propaganda and mobilization to change the awareness and actions of cadres and people. However, the locality determined that the biggest advantage was that many people participated in the implementation, the main subject being the people. Therefore, from the beginning, the district determined that leadership and direction were the most important, if the way of doing things was not appropriate and not drastic, it could not be successful.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development inspects a large-scale field in Yen Thanh district. Photo: Thanh Duy

With that awareness, throughout the past 10 years, the entire political system of Yen Thanh district, headed directly by the Standing Committee, the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee, and the Executive Committee of the District Party Committee, has always identified new rural areas as the top priority. Entering the 2015-2020 term, Yen Thanh only had 7/38 communes meeting the NTM standards; while according to the new criteria, the district must have 100% of the communes reaching the finish line, and at the same time, complete 10 targets of the NTM district to be able to reach the finish line in 2020.

Over the past 5 years, Yen Thanh has taken a big step forward on the path of building a new rural area.

However, with the leadership, direction, close and timely support of the Central Government and the province, together with the political determination of the entire political system and the people of the district, in just the past 5 years, Yen Thanh district has taken a big step forward on the path of building a new rural area. The Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and the Executive Committee of the District Party Committee have directly led and directed with many different solutions, especially on the basis of analyzing the current situation, it has been determinedRoadmap for the Communessuitable to conditions and situations; thereby having appropriate ways of doing and investing from the perspective that the results achieved must be substantial, leaving no outstanding debts.

District leaders regularly visit the grassroots to discuss and direct the tasks of building new rural areas, especially for each commune, which determines the target date in which year, the Standing Committee and the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee directly visit each commune 3 times to grasp and direct promptly; thereby also conveying the message: the district focuses all its people and efforts on it, not "outsourcing" the new rural construction to the commune. Seeing the timely attention and encouragement, the political system of the communes has taken drastic action, with higher responsibility; propagating and mobilizing the people to join hands in implementing the tasks and focusing on implementation.

Applying high technology to produce clean vegetables in Yen Thanh district. Photo: Thai Duong

The district also focuses on directing the remaining communes to have a roadmap to finish later, not because of focusing too much on this locality that they "neglect" to direct other localities. Specifically, Yen Thanh district has assigned members of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and members of the Executive Committee of the District Party Committee to direct points; assigned departments and offices to follow each NTM target associated with their respective functions and tasks to direct and guide communes in implementation.

In addition, Yen Thanh district has built and supplemented appropriate mechanisms and policies for each year and each stage, while at the same time organizing and integrating programs and projects well to invest in infrastructure construction and production development. Right from the first year of implementing the program, the district has issued and effectively implemented a mechanism to reward welfare works for communes meeting NTM standards (VND 200 million/commune), supported cement for rural traffic in mountainous communes 3 km, plain communes 2 km; supported the construction of production development models, and the construction of waste incinerators. For disadvantaged and mountainous communes, in addition to the support policy according to the Resolution of the District People's Council, the District People's Committee has allocated a budget to support additional cement for road construction, supporting communes to strive to meet the criteria of advanced NTM communes and model NTM communes.

Each commune is also an important "piece" to contribute to completing the 10 NTM criteria at the district level.

Along with that, in the period of 2015 - 2020, the district has a way of dealing with the budget supported by the higher level and the entire district budget is allocated for the communes to build new rural areas. The district budget supports and assigns the commune to be the investor of the project selected by the commune in conjunction with the goals to be achieved. From there, it creates favorable conditions for localities to be proactive in mobilizing the participation and contributions of organizations and individuals while contributing to enhancing the role of the people in implementing the construction of new rural areas, as well as in other activities at the grassroots level. Here, the district plays a coordinating and orienting role to ensure that the capital is allocated reasonably to ensure that not only the communes reach the finish line but each commune is also an important "piece" to contribute to completing the 10 new rural criteria at the district level.

In addition, Yen Thanh also exploits external factors, especially policies, to gain more investment resources. For example, in 2010, there was only one national highway and provincial road passing through the district with a length of 20 km, but by 2019, there were 3 national highways and 6 provincial roads with a length of 180 km passing through the district, these roads were invested in by superiors for upgrading.

Irrigation in the field. Photo: Ho Cac

In particular, the most important resources for building the new rural areas are the local people, businesses and Yen Thanh people living far from home. Therefore, from the beginning, the district determined to do a good job of propaganda and mobilization, combined with good implementation of the grassroots democracy regulations; thereby, creating unity in awareness, determination to lead, direct and consensus of the people, making the people identify themselves as the main players in building the new rural areas: "People know, people discuss, people do, people supervise, people enjoy".

Today's achievements of Yen Thanh district have great and important contributions from the people.

Today's achievements of Yen Thanh district have a great and important contribution from the people. Almost all village and hamlet halls in the district were built from socialized sources or when implementing traffic routes, the people all agreed to donate land to clear the site... is a very specific proof.

Comrade Phan Van Tuyen - Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Thanh District. Photo by Thanh Duy

In building new rural areas, the key and core task is to improve the material and spiritual life of people in rural areas. Therefore, the district has completed the planning for agricultural development associated with building new rural areas until 2035, with a vision to 2050, approved by the Provincial People's Committee. From there, Yen Thanh district has concretized it in direction and implementation; focusing on linking with businesses to bring valuable crops and livestock into production, especiallyPrioritize production modelschain, high-tech agriculture, market research, brand building, trademarks for key agricultural products of the district. Attract and implement investment projects in the district to shift rural labor and promote rural development. In addition, build and implement the program "One Commune One Product" (OCOP), new rural standard gardens.

New rural construction is defined as a program with a starting point but no end point, not allowing for subjectivity and complacency with the results achieved. In the period of 2020 - 2025, Yen Thanh district determined that the most important task is to strive to have 27 communes achieving advanced new rural status, of which 3 - 5 communes achieve model new rural status. The goal by 2028 is to become an advanced new rural district, laying the foundation for achieving a model new rural district by 2030.

During the process of building the new rural area, the average income per capita of Yen Thanh district was higher year after year: In 2010, it reached 13.92 million VND/person/year; in 2015, it reached 26.075 million VND. By 2019, the average income per capita reached 43 million VND/person/year, of which, the income in rural areas reached 42.43 million VND/person/year, an increase of 28.51 million VND compared to 2010. The poverty rate gradually decreased over the years from 9.42% in 2010 to 1.92% by the end of 2019, lower than the average of the province by 2.08%.

A corner of the new rural area of ​​Yen Thanh district. Photo: Thai Duong