Prime Minister: Investing in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is investing in development

Conference at the Central bridge. (Photo: VNA)

On the morning of August 13, the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programs for the 2021-2025 period held a national online conference to evaluate the implementation results of the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas (Program 1719) for the 2021-2025 period, and orient the content for the 2026-2030 period. Comrade Pham Minh Chinh, Politburo member, Prime Minister chaired the conference.

Co-chairing the conference were Politburo members: Do Van Chien, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Nguyen Hoa Binh, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programs (MTQG); Party Central Committee members: Mai Van Chinh, Deputy Prime Minister; Vu Hong Thanh, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly; Dao Ngoc Dung, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions .

Attending the conference at the Government bridge were also leaders of departments, ministries, branches, central agencies; ambassadors, representatives of international organizations in Vietnam.

Comrades: Nguyen Doan Anh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Do Minh Tuan, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and delegates attended the conference at the Thanh Hoa province bridge.

Delegates attending the conference at Thanh Hoa province bridge.

Attending the conference at the Thanh Hoa province bridge were comrades: Nguyen Doan Anh, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Do Minh Tuan, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Dau Thanh Tung, member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and representatives of leaders of departments, branches, and functional units at the provincial level.

Program 1719 is a major policy of the Party and State to narrow the development gap between regions, especially ethnic minority and mountainous areas. The program focuses on main goals such as: economic development, improving people's material and spiritual life, preserving and promoting national cultural identity, building a strong grassroots political system, ensuring national defense and security.

With 10 projects, 14 sub-projects and 36 components, Program 1719 for the 2021-2025 period is prioritized for capital allocation of more than 137,000 billion VND.

Up to now, of the 9 target groups assigned by the National Assembly, 6 groups have achieved and exceeded progress, including the targets of poverty reduction, income, vocational training, education, culture and health.

Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions Dao Ngoc Dung reports on the implementation results of Program 1719 for the 2021-2025 period (Screenshot).

According to the report of the Central Steering Committee of Program 1719, after nearly 5 years of implementation, 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. Arranged and settled residents for 25,056 households, of which 5,711 households were arranged in a centralized form; 13,096 households were arranged in on-site residential arrangement and settlement projects...

Also from the implementation of the program, the whole country has deployed investment support for 6,018 rural traffic works serving production, business and people's lives; 8,673km of roads have been asphalted, concreted or hardened; 442 power supply works serving daily life, production and business.

Support investment in construction and preservation of 48 villages and 69 typical traditional tourist destinations of ethnic minorities; 4,409 cultural houses/sports areas in ethnic minority and mountainous villages have been invested in construction and supported with equipment, renovation and embellishment...

Conference locations (Screenshot).

After phase I with many positive results, the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions has consulted and proposed the program content for the period 2026-2030. Accordingly, phase II will continue to invest, develop, and complete essential infrastructure, infrastructure serving production and business associated with ensuring security and national defense; continue to solve urgent issues such as residential land, production land, etc.

In Thanh Hoa, the total annual central budget capital allocated to implement the Program for the 2021-2025 period is more than 2,705 billion VND.

Up to now, the details of each project, sub-project, content, and project portfolio have been assigned at more than 2,690 billion VND, reaching 99.45% of the plan.

The total disbursed capital from the State budget for the 2021-2025 period up to July 31, 2025 is more than VND 1,816 billion, reaching 68.6% of the plan. Of which, development investment capital is more than VND 1,057 billion, equal to 85.6% of the assigned plan; career capital is nearly VND 759 billion, equal to 51.6% of the assigned plan.

Overview of the conference at Thanh Hoa province bridge.

According to the assessment of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, the results of the program implementation have contributed to gradually narrowing the gap in living standards and income of ethnic minority and mountainous people compared to the average of the whole province.

Through review, the poverty rate in ethnic minority and mountainous areas of the province in 2024 will decrease to 8.6% (down 6.73% compared to 2023); the average income of ethnic minority and mountainous people by the end of 2023 is 39.61 million VND/person/year; in 2024 it will reach 44.39 million VND/person/year.

At the conference, delegates discussed and analyzed to clarify the results achieved, difficulties, limitations, and causes of difficulties and limitations in the implementation of Program 1719; at the same time, recommended and proposed many solutions to effectively implement the Program in the period 2026-2030.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the conference. (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: The implementation of Program 1719 is not only a responsibility and obligation but also a "command of the heart", demonstrating "national love, compatriotism", the deep concern of the Party and State for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas - where there are still many difficulties in terms of traffic infrastructure, education, health care, environmental sanitation, people's livelihoods...

The Prime Minister highlighted the positive results and impacts from the implementation of Program 1719; at the same time, pointed out the shortcomings, limitations and inadequacies in the way the program was implemented in the past, in which it is worth noting that the implementation method is still fragmented, divided, unfocused, and lacking in focus and key points.

To solve this situation, the Prime Minister requires all levels, sectors and localities to fundamentally change their thinking, with the "key" being strong, clear and transparent decentralization and delegation of power.

In particular, the Central Government needs to focus on macro tasks: promulgating mechanisms and policies, allocating overall resources to localities, and carrying out inspection, supervision, summarization, and model building.

The provincial level must be responsible for general management, based on the actual situation to decide which specific fields and projects to invest in for effectiveness. The grassroots level is the unit directly organizing implementation. Decentralization must go hand in hand with resource allocation, strengthening implementation capacity and promoting the responsibility of each level, ending the state of waiting and relying on others. In particular, the process of performing tasks must promote the spirit of determination, decisiveness, completing each task, doing each task properly, with focus and key points.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh noted that the socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas must have a comprehensive approach for the whole people, and the entire political system must participate. Investing in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is investing in development. During the implementation process, it is necessary to create an emulation movement so that ethnic minority and mountainous areas can promote national spirit, self-reliance, self-reliance, escape poverty, and get rich with their own hands, minds, and on their homeland.

The Prime Minister assigned specific tasks to each ministry, sector and locality in overcoming shortcomings and limitations as well as effectively implementing the contents, solutions and orientations set out in the 2026-2030 period in the spirit of 6 clear principles: "clear people, clear work, clear time, clear responsibility, clear products, clear authority". At the same time, focus on mobilizing and creating good resources to ensure sustainability for development.

At the conference, many outstanding collectives in implementing Program 1719 in the 2021-2025 period were honored and rewarded. In particular, Xuan Phong village, Thanh Phong commune, Thanh Hoa province was honored to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister.

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Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/thu-tuong-chinh-phu-dau-tu-cho-vung-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-va-mien-nui-la-dau-tu-cho-su-phat-trien-257914.htm