The Summary of the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 Period

The conference was co-chaired by comrades: Do Van Chien, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee; Nguyen Hoa Binh, Politburo member, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programs; Members of the Party Central Committee: Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Vu Hong Thanh, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions Dao Ngoc Dung.

At the Hung Yen provincial bridge point, the conference drew the attendance of comrades: Nguyen Khac Than, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Dao Hong Van, Member of the Provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, Director of the Department of Home Affairs; leaders of departments and branches of the province.

Comrade Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Khac Than and delegates of departments and branches attend the conference at the Hung Yen provincial bridge point.

According to the report, the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority Area for the 2021-2030 period, Phase I (from 2021 to 2025) is the first national target program on a very large scale dedicated to ethnic minority and mountainous areas, becoming an important decision in concretizing the Politburo's policies and orientations according to Conclusion No. 65-KL/TW dated October 30, 2019 on continuing to implement Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW of the 9th Party Central Committee on ethnic work in the new situation, the Resolution No. 88/2019/QH14 and Resolution No. 120/2020/QH14 of the National Assembly approving the Overall Project and Investment Policy of the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period.

With the viewpoint that "The investment in socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is investment for the sustainable development of the country, is the most strategic solution to achieve the goal of gradually narrowing the gap in living standards and income of ethnic minorities compared to the national average", the Program was issued and implemented, which is necessary, timely, meeting the practical requirements and legitimate aspirations of the people, and supported by the entire political system.

From 2022 to present, the whole country has supported residential land for 10,549 households; supported housing for 42,567 households; directly supported production land for 13,387 households. 25,056 households have been arranged and settled, of which 5,711 households were arranged in a concentrated form; 13,096 households were arranged in projects to arrange and stabilize local residents... In addition, localities have deployed investment support for 6,018 rural traffic works to serve production, business and people's lives; 8,673km of roads were asphalted, concreted or hardened; 442 power supply works to serve daily life and production and business.

Regarding the results of implementation of nine target groups of the Program, there are six basic task groups that have achieved or exceeded the set plan as follows: the poverty reduction rate in ethnic minority area reached an average of 3.4%, exceeding the program's target of 3.2%; average income per capita reached 43.4 million VND, 3.1 times higher than in 2020; laborers of working age were trained in vocational skills suitable to their needs and conditions, reaching an average of 54.8%, exceeding the program's target of 50%; preserve and develop the values and good traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups; strengthen medical work so that people can access modern health care services, continue to control and eventually eliminate epidemics... However, there are three groups of targets that have not been achieved regarding improving technical infrastructure and social infrastructure in particularly difficult communes and villages, in which the rate of solidly built schools and classrooms only reached 94.6%, the rate of people watching television reached 97%, the rate of people listening to the radio reached 98.3%; the number of communes and villages out of extremely difficult areas and the work of settling down, basically solving the shortage of residential land and production land for ethnic minorities...

The conference was held directly at the Government headquarters, and in virtual form with 34 provinces and cities nationwide - Photo: VGPNhat Bac

It can be seen that the initial results in performing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority Area for the 2021 - 2026 period have made an important contribution to the task of maintaining national defense, ensuring security, strengthening the great national unity bloc, stabilizing politics from the grassroots, and deepening the people's trust in the Party and the State.

At the conference, delegates from ministries, branches, localities and international organizations focused on discussing and evaluating the achievements, limitations and difficulties; at the same time, they pointed out lessons learned and proposed solutions to effectively implement the Program in the coming time.

Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh commended and acknowledged the results and positive impacts from the implementation of this Program; at the same time, he pointed out the shortcomings, limitations and inadequacies in the implementation of the Program in the past time.

The Prime Minister suggested four goals and ten solutions to implement the Program in the period of 2026 - 2030, in which he requested ministries and central branches to focus on researching, advising on the issuance of mechanisms, policies, and overall resource allocation, associated with decentralization and delegation of power to localities; mobilizing the entire political system to participate with the motto "investing in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is investing in development". The implementation process must create a competitive movement for ethnic minorities and mountainous people to promote their national spirit, self-reliance, self-improvement, escape poverty, and get rich on their homeland.

The Prime Minister assigned specific tasks to each ministry, branch, and locality in overcoming shortcomings and limitations as well as effectively carrying out the contents, solutions, and orientations set out in the period of 2026 - 2030 in the spirit of clear people, clear work, clear time, clear responsibility, clear products, and clear authority; at the same time, focusing on mobilizing and creating good resources to ensure sustainable development.

On this occasion, many typical communes and villages in implementing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the period of 2021 - 2025 were commended by the Prime Minister.