Directive No. 40-CT/TW dated November 22, 2014 of the Central Party Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership over social policy credit work (Directive No. 40-CT/TW) clearly stated: Social policy credit implemented by the Bank for Social Policies is considered a creative solution, deeply humane and suitable to the reality of Vietnam. Through 10 years of implementing Directive No. 40-CT/TW in Thanh Hoa province, it can be seen that the spirit and content of the Directive have truly penetrated into life, creating a policy "pillar", contributing to promoting sustainable poverty reduction, as well as implementing other social security policies.

Nam Khanh Nest Vietnam Salanganes Nest Joint Stock Company, Van Hoa commune (Nong Cong) received a loan from the job creation program of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, effectively expanding production and business.

Create a viral effect...

If policy credit is like the “sail that takes the social security boat to sea”, then Directive No. 40-CT/TW is like the “wind” that pushes that boat to go faster, in the right direction and more and more effectively. Because right after Directive No. 40-CT/TW was issued, the Standing Committee of Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee organized research and thoroughly disseminated the content of the directive to key cadres of the province. At the same time, it issued documents directing party committees at all levels, authorities, departments, branches, sectors, the Fatherland Front, and socio-political organizations in the whole province to promote propaganda, dissemination, dissemination and implementation of Directive No. 40-CT/TW to all cadres, party members, union members, association members and people of all walks of life. From there, create a change in awareness of the role of social policy credit, as well as promote the role of Party committees, authorities at all levels, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations in directing and supervising to make policy credit activities one of the important and regular tasks of each locality and unit.

Along with that, the Board of Directors of the Social Policy Bank from the provincial to the district level is regularly strengthened, with the participation of State management agencies, local authorities at all levels, and socio-political organizations; at the same time, 100% of commune-level People's Committee Chairmen are added to the Board of Directors of the Social Policy Bank at the district level. Thereby, helping to manage and implement policy credit programs more effectively, all policies of the Party and policies of the State on policy credit are grasped and promptly deployed to the people.

In addition to supporting facilities, arranging locations, conditions, and working hours for the People's Credit Fund in districts, each commune, ward, and town has a transaction point. At the transaction point, the operations of loan disbursement, debt collection, interest collection, savings mobilization, etc. will be carried out to serve people on a fixed day of the month in the form of "transactions at home, disbursement, debt collection at the commune". Accordingly, the province currently has 558 transaction points located at 558 headquarters of the People's Committees of communes, wards, and towns and 6,431 savings and loan groups. All policies and preferential lending policies, inspection of loan use efficiency, urging debt repayment, interest payment of borrowers when due, listening to feedback, thoughts, and aspirations of people, etc. are deployed and implemented promptly, and any arising issues in practice are quickly resolved. Thereby creating the most favorable conditions for timely and effective transfer of policy credit capital to poor households and policy beneficiaries in the area.

For Nong Cong district, increasing people's income is identified as one of the key tasks contributing to the successful implementation of local political tasks. Comrade Le Xuan Hung, Standing Deputy Secretary of Nong Cong District Party Committee, affirmed: “Policy credit capital is an effective tool of authorities at all levels to implement the national goal of sustainable poverty reduction, ensuring social security, and creating jobs. Therefore, in recent years, Nong Cong District Party Committee has always focused on leading and directing the effective implementation of Directive No. 40-CT/TW. In particular, focusing on innovating and improving the effectiveness of propaganda and dissemination of the State's social policies and guidelines to the people. In particular, the District Party Committee and People's Committee always pay attention and create the most favorable conditions for the VBSP to deploy credit programs quickly and promptly. After 10 years of implementing Directive No. 40-CT/TW, it has contributed to further strengthening people's trust in the Party and State's innovation policies and guidelines". It is known that since the implementation of Directive No. 40-CT/TW, the District People's Committee has allocated more than 10.5 billion VND from the local budget to Nong Cong District Social Policy Bank to supplement capital for loans to create jobs.

...to put policy into practice

After a decade of implementation, Directive No. 40-CT/TW has become a “compass” for policy credit activities in the province. At the same time, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies - Thanh Hoa Branch (VBSP Thanh Hoa) is not only a “bridge” to bring preferential credit capital from the State to the people; but also a “lever” to promote the close connection between the Party - people - government in the fight against poverty and sustainable development.

Many households in Nga An commune (Nga Son) received loans to develop traditional sedge weaving.

Present at Dien Trung commune (Ba Thuoc) on the fixed transaction day, comrade Nguyen The Anh, Party Secretary of the commune, affirmed: “The implementation of Directive No. 40-CT/TW is considered a breakthrough in the sustainable poverty reduction and new rural development program of the commune. The positive changes in awareness and actions of the Party Committee, government, organizations, cadres and party members of Dien Trung commune in recent times have helped poverty reduction work to be implemented more practically. Thanks to that, the source of policy credit capital in the commune has not only grown rapidly, but the effectiveness of the loan capital has also been promoted, supporting poor households and policy beneficiaries to develop production and improve their lives”.

The clearest evidence of the effectiveness of policy credit capital in Dien Trung commune is the household of Mr. Ha Van Hiep. Receiving us in his newly built house - the result of many years of saving and investing in business from the loan capital from the Social Policy Bank, Mr. Hiep said: "5 years ago, my family was a near-poor household in the locality. After being evaluated by the village's Savings and Loan Group and guided through the application process, I borrowed 50 million VND to invest in breeding buffaloes. Although the loan is not large, it shows the concern of the Party and the State for poor and near-poor households and families with preferential policies. Since then, we have had more faith in the Party and the State to strive to develop the economy. Thanks to guidance on breeding techniques and hard work, my family has escaped poverty. From the first breeding buffalo bought with bank capital, up to now, the family has nearly 20 buffaloes and is considered a typical household for many local people to learn from".

Although it is one of the 74 poor districts in the country, Ba Thuoc district is gradually changing strongly. Concrete roads stretch into hamlets and villages. The infrastructure system of schools and residential areas has been upgraded. In particular, thanks to the strong and widespread flow of policy credit capital, it has contributed to bringing a new life to the people here. Following Directive No. 40-CT/TW, local Party committees and authorities have identified the task of leading and directing social policy credit activities as one of the important tasks of the locality. From there, coordinating management, improving the efficiency and quality of social policy credit, contributing to changing the mindset of production habits and awareness of rising out of poverty of each person. The reality in Ba Thuoc district shows that policy credit capital has been truly trusted by the people, giving them hope to escape poverty sustainably and is one of the "fulcrums" for the district to strive to become one of the poorest districts in the country by 2025.

It can be affirmed that Directive No. 40-CT/TW is a correct policy of the Party and State, meeting the aspirations of the People. The Directive has been mobilizing the strength of the entire political system and helping social policy credit activities to bring about increasingly practical results, contributing to ensuring social security and promoting socio-economic development.

Article and photos: Khanh Phuong

Lesson 2: Swallows weave spring.