On the afternoon of October 4, comrade Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee worked with the Provincial Ethnic Committee to evaluate the results of implementing ethnic work tasks and ethnic policies from 2021 to present, and key directions and tasks in the coming time.

LIFE OF ETHNIC MINORITIES AND MOUNTAIN AREAS IS IMPROVING DAY BY DAY

Reporting at the meeting, Comrade Vi Van Son - Head of the Provincial Ethnic Minorities Committee said that thanks to the attention and direction of the Central Government and the province; the coordination of departments, branches, localities, ethnic minority and mountainous areas of the province in recent years have had significant development steps, infrastructure has been strengthened; the political system has been regularly consolidated; political security and social order and safety have been basically stable.

The Ethnic Committee has advised the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee to issue many guidelines, policies, and directives on ethnic affairs and implementation of ethnic policies; effectively implemented many policies for prestigious people among ethnic minorities; supported gender equality activities in ethnic minority areas; and reduced child marriage and incestuous marriage in ethnic minority areas.

On the other hand, the Ethnic Committee has advised competent authorities to allocate funds to implement a number of specific contents, such as: Propagating and disseminating laws and policies for ethnic minorities; foreign affairs; taking care of the education of ethnic minorities; taking care of the lives of ethnic minorities in especially difficult districts and border communes.

Regarding the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period, by September 10, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee had assigned units to implement more than VND 2,144 billion in 12 districts and towns. Currently, development investment capital has disbursed more than VND 328,585 billion, reaching 29.22% of the total plan; public service capital has disbursed more than VND 42,328 billion, reaching 3.69% of the total plan.

In addition, the Ethnic Committee has also focused on implementing administrative reforms; Regularly building and consolidating the organizational apparatus, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of operations in management sectors; Focusing on directing the implementation of inspection, examination, and citizen reception; handling complaints, denunciations, recommendations, and feedback; preventing and combating corruption.

Head of the Provincial Ethnic Minorities Committee Vi Van Son said that the results of implementing ethnic policies in recent years have contributed to changing the face of rural areas in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; ethnic minorities are united, believe in the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws; actively work in production to strive for legitimate enrichment, and their material and spiritual lives have gradually improved.

At the meeting, leaders of departments, branches, sectors and units clarified the coordination with the Provincial Ethnic Committee in ethnic affairs and ethnic policies; proposed tasks and solutions in the coming time, such as: Increasing disbursement of capital for the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; building close, correct and effective ethnic policies; paying attention to preserving the cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities.

On the other hand, the Provincial Ethnic Committee needs to coordinate with departments, branches and sectors to strengthen grassroots healthcare in mountainous areas; create livelihoods and jobs for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas; resolve the shortage of residential land and production land for people; strengthen inspection and control of project implementation for ethnic minority areas; actively advise on mechanisms and policies for ethnic minority and mountainous areas; strengthen border security work...

MOBILIZING AND EFFECTIVE USE OF RESOURCES

Concluding the working session, comrade Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized that ethnic work is a particularly important task, this is a strategy that the Party and State pay great attention to.

Nghe An currently has nearly 500,000 ethnic minorities, accounting for 14.76% of the province's population, mainly concentrated in mountainous areas. Therefore, the implementation of ethnic work and ethnic policies is of great importance.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also shared with the Provincial Ethnic Committee the difficulties in the process of implementing the state management tasks. In the past time, especially since the beginning of the term, with the spirit of efforts to overcome difficulties and solidarity, the Committee has tried and made efforts to perform well the assigned tasks and achieved many positive results, contributing to the overall results of the province.

Agreeing with the assessment of the results achieved by the Provincial Ethnic Committee in the past time, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized that the advisory work has been carried out well and promptly by the Committee; initially effectively implementing the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2025; effectively implementing many policies, programs and projects for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas...

On the other hand, the Ethnic Committee has done a good job of coordinating with departments, branches, sectors and units in all aspects of work. The Committee has strengthened administrative reform... The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee acknowledged, commended and highly appreciated the results that the Ethnic Committee has achieved in the past time.

In addition, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee said that ethnic minority and mountainous areas still face many difficulties; the rate of poor and near-poor households is still high; access to social services and conditions are not favorable; some contents in the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period are still slow; disbursement results are still low.

Emphasizing the tasks of the Ethnic Committee in the coming time, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung requested the Committee to clearly define the position, role and significance of ethnic work in the province's conditions to carry out state management tasks; continue to advise the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council and Provincial People's Committee to effectively implement mechanisms, policies and programs for ethnic work.

The Ethnic Committee needs to strengthen propaganda and education to raise awareness, consciousness, and responsibility for performing tasks for both ethnic workers and ethnic minorities; thereby effectively implementing socio-economic development tasks in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. The most important issue is to change awareness, thinking, mindset, and ways of doing things to escape poverty, have sustainable livelihoods, and a more stable life.

Focus on synchronous implementation and mobilization, effective use of resources to implement programs and policies, in which effective resources are integrated. Thereby, creating conditions for ethnic minorities to improve their living standards, have livelihoods and have equal access to development opportunities, cultural institutions, social services; narrowing the gap in people's lives between the plains and mountainous areas.

The head of the provincial People's Committee also requested the provincial Ethnic Committee to pay more attention to training and improving the expertise and capacity of cadres working on ethnic affairs, especially at the grassroots level; Continue to coordinate effectively with departments, branches and sectors to implement programs and projects related to ethnic affairs and ethnic policies.

On the other hand, the Provincial Ethnic Committee also needs to pay attention to the work of inspection, examination, handling of complaints and denunciations of citizens. Strengthen the work of monitoring and grasping the situation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially border areas to avoid the emergence of security and order hotspots; coordinate in handling natural disasters and epidemics. Continue to pay attention to performing well the foreign affairs and international cooperation tasks on ethnic affairs with localities of Laos that share the border.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung also requested the Provincial Ethnic Committee to prepare to implement key tasks in the coming time, such as: Advising on the organization of the Provincial Ethnic Minority Congress in conjunction with the 6th Ethnic Minority Art Performance in 2024; Coordinating the implementation of the General Census to collect information on the socio-economic status of 53 ethnic minorities in 2024; Coordinating with the Ethnic Committee on the inspection of the National Target Program on socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period of 2021-2025.

In addition, the Committee also needs to promote administrative reform, prevent negativity and waste. Strengthen the application of information technology, innovate working methods, implement digital transformation; build a database on ethnic affairs; care for the lives of cadres working in ethnic affairs.

At the meeting, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung responded to the recommendations and proposals of the Provincial Ethnic Committee in the spirit of creating favorable conditions for the Committee to continue to perform well its assigned tasks in the coming time.