Leverage for development of ethnic minority areas

(GLO)- After more than 4 years of implementation (2021-2025), the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas has contributed to sustainable poverty reduction and created momentum for local development. The program is a lever for the development of ethnic minority areas.

Positive changes

After more than 4 years of implementing the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, the whole Gia Lai province has solidified more than 208.5 km of rural roads; supported 86 households with residential land; 2,942 houses; 115 households were supported with production land; 4,967 households were supported with livelihood solutions and job conversion; 12,318 households were supported with domestic water; 15 centralized domestic water works were built; 138 households were arranged and stabilized; 43,321 hectares of forest were assigned to the community and households for protection; 18 ethnic boarding schools and schools with boarding students were strengthened with facilities and equipment; 6 ethnic boarding schools were strengthened with facilities and equipment; 11,630 people were supported with vocational training; 100% of commune health stations in ethnic minority areas are eligible for health insurance examination and treatment...

Building rural roads in Krong Pa district. Photo: LN

In the period of 2021-2025, Krong Pa district was allocated nearly 254 billion VND to implement 10 projects and 14 sub-projects. Accordingly, the district has built 221 houses for poor households, donated 795 water tanks, 4 dug wells; 810 households were supported to change their jobs, and 1,547 breeding cows were given to 605 poor and near-poor households...

At the same time, the district opened 20 literacy classes for 308 students, organized 20 vocational training classes and 30 capacity building training classes for more than 2,200 people. Notably, 100% of communes have paved roads to the center, 100% of 5-year-old kindergarten students go to school at the right age; many cultural, communication and health indicators also met or exceeded the plan.

Mr. Ro Cham Yeuh and his wife (Kep village, Ia Phi commune, Chu Pah district) are poor households receiving 44 million VND from the State to build a house under the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas. Photo: LN

Mr. Rah Lan Xe's family is one of the households supported to relocate to the resettlement area under the project to arrange and stabilize nomadic ethnic minority households in Ma Giai village, Dat Bang commune, Krong Pa district. Mr. Xe said: "My family was supported with 60 million VND to build a house, an additional 23 million VND for relocation costs, and with the help of the villagers, we were able to build a new house. I work hard to escape poverty."

According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Dang - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Krong Pa district: "The national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas has contributed to significantly changing the lives and appearance of ethnic minority areas. The transportation system has been invested synchronously, schools, medical stations, and cultural houses have been built spaciously. The rate of students going to class, people receiving medical examination and treatment, and cultural activities have all increased. In particular, people's income has been increasingly improved."

The project to arrange and stabilize residents in De Kon village (H'ra commune, Mang Yang district) will build 1.9 km of roads and invest in resettlement areas to help 33 households stabilize their lives. Photo: LN

Kbang district is also a bright spot in implementing the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas. Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee Le Thanh Son said: The total mobilized capital is more than 184 billion VND. The district has invested synchronously in essential items such as: roads, cultural houses, irrigation, rural markets... At the same time, supporting livelihoods for more than 1,200 households; opening vocational training classes, eliminating illiteracy, training in community management skills.

Thanks to that, many targets were achieved or exceeded the set plan, including many targets reaching 100% ahead of schedule such as: the rate of children going to school, solid medical stations, people watching television, villages having community houses... Average income per capita increased gradually over the years, the rate of poor ethnic minority households decreased sustainably.

Towards sustainable development

In order for the program to continue to be effective in the 2026-2030 period, the province has proposed that the Central Government complete mechanisms and policies, adjust support levels to be more suitable to reality, restructure investment and career capital sources at a reasonable rate, build a flexible capital allocation mechanism; at the same time, increase the mobilization of socialized resources and preferential loans... Capacity building for staff and application of information technology in management and supervision are also promoted.

Land and Agriculture officials of Ia Kreng commune (Chu Pah district) introduce the concentrated residential area in Dip village. Photo: LN

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Ba Thach - Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions - acknowledged: The national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in Gia Lai has brought about positive changes. However, it is necessary to seriously acknowledge the limitations such as: the poverty rate is still high, especially among ethnic minorities; the progress of some projects is still slow; the rate of people participating in vocational training is not high, there is still a part of the people who have a mentality of waiting and relying on the support of the State, not trying to escape poverty.

According to the Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions: From the results of phase I, the province has developed a plan for the 2026-2030 period with a total capital demand of more than 4,700 billion VND. In which, the province has determined to focus on investment, prioritizing communes, villages, and hamlets with special difficulties, according to the principle: close to reality, with people's participation, synchronously combining infrastructure construction, livelihood development and community capacity building.

At the same time, continue to invest in essential infrastructure serving production and life such as roads, clean water systems, medical stations, schools; promote livelihood support associated with value chain development, create sustainable raw material areas, and link businesses to consume products; strengthen vocational training and foster grassroots cadres, especially ethnic minorities; focus on gender mainstreaming in project implementation; improve management and supervision capacity, and effectively use resources; promote the role of the community in monitoring and evaluation.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/don-bay-phat-trien-vung-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-post328969.html