Summary of the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, Phase 1 (2021 - 2025)

On the morning of August 13, the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programs (NTPs) held an online conference with provinces and cities to review and evaluate the results of the implementation of the NTP on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2030, phase 1 (2021-2025). Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the Steering Committee, attended and chaired the conference.

Attending and chairing at the provincial bridge point were comrades: Hau A Lenh, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Phan Huy Ngoc, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders of departments, branches and sectors of the province.

Provincial Party Secretary Hau A Lenh and Provincial People's Committee Chairman Phan Huy Ngoc chaired at the provincial bridge.

Step by step solving fundamental problems in the lives of ethnic minorities

After 4 years of implementation, the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas has effectively solved a number of fundamental and root problems such as: Hunger eradication, poverty reduction, income increase, job creation, improvement of education and health care quality, preservation and promotion of cultural values. Effectively solving urgent problems such as: Housing support, land, planning, population stabilization in areas at high risk of landslides. Laying the foundation, arousing the potential and strengths of localities; encouraging the spirit of self-reliance, self-reliance, not waiting or depending on others of ethnic minorities; significantly changing the appearance and material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas.

The initial results have significantly contributed to the task of maintaining national defense, ensuring security, strengthening national unity, stabilizing politics from the grassroots, and deepening people's trust in the Party and State.

In the 2022-2025 period, the total central budget capital allocated to implement the Program is over VND 89,728 billion, reaching 85.5% (compared to the approved capital plan). Up to now, of the 9 target groups of the Program, 6 groups have basically achieved or exceeded the set plan. Notably, the poverty reduction rate in ethnic minority areas during the whole period reached an average of 3.2%; the average income of ethnic minorities reached an average of VND 45.9 million, an increase of 3.3 times compared to 2020, 2 times higher than the plan; 57.8% of working-age workers received vocational training suitable to the needs and practical conditions of the people and the socio -economy of ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

Eliminated 264,500 temporary and dilapidated houses; supported residential land for 10,549 households, production land for 13,387 households, converted 54,899 households; supported domestic water for 479,358 households. Arranged and relocated 25,056 households. Built 4,508 infrastructure works for transportation, irrigation, electricity, water, schools, medical stations, and community houses. Preserved hundreds of festivals and craft villages; initiated many start-up and production models according to the value chain. Expanded health care, vaccination, medical examination and treatment, reaching remote areas.

Ethnic minorities in Tuyen Quang transform

The target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2025 has contributed to promoting socio-economic development, improving the lives of rural people in Tuyen Quang, and increasing average income per capita by 11.6 million VND/person/year compared to 2021. The projects, sub-projects and policy contents of the Program have significantly contributed to economic restructuring and poverty reduction in the area. The poverty rate in ethnic minority areas has decreased by an average of over 5%/year, higher than the general poverty reduction rate of the whole country, contributing to narrowing the development gap between regions.

Nearly 1,600 infrastructure works of electricity, roads, schools, stations, water supply... have been invested in and built, playing an important role in supporting people's production, especially essential infrastructure works serving people's lives in particularly difficult areas of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, making practical contributions to the goal of improving the quality of social services such as healthcare, education...

Support policies and livelihood development help people eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, improve their lives, develop the economy, and partly create stable jobs for a part of the labor force in the area. Investment in facilities for ethnic minority boarding and semi-boarding schools has been focused on helping to improve the quality of education in ethnic minority and preschool areas, contributing to raising the rate of primary school students attending school to 99.7% (target 97%) , and secondary school students to 95.6% (target 95%) .

Health care for ethnic minorities has many positive changes. Training and fostering to improve the professional and political qualifications of ethnic minority cadres has received attention from Party committees and authorities at all levels...

Many issues need attention in the period 2026 - 2030

Discussing at the conference, representatives of ministries, branches, localities, representatives of international organizations, village heads, and ethnic minority households highly appreciated the results of the implementation of the National Target Program for the Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, which has had a great impact on the lives of ethnic minorities. At the same time, issues that need attention in the period of 2026 - 2030 were pointed out, such as: 3/9 groups of targets have not yet met the set plan. The process of issuing a number of guiding documents and regulations at the central level has been prolonged. Some localities are still confused in the implementation process.

The organization of the Program's implementation apparatus does not ensure uniformity and synchronization among levels and localities. The staff and civil servants directly implementing the program at the grassroots level are still lacking and weak; some civil servants and leaders are afraid of making mistakes and being responsible, so they are not proactive, decisive and determined. The application of information technology to support management and direction is still limited; support resources from the state budget are not commensurate with the investment needs of localities; in phase I, the content and resource allocation mechanism of the Program were built for all localities while the natural and socio-economic conditions of the implementation areas are different between regions, so some localities still face difficulties in the implementation process in practice.

Bring the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities higher year after year

Speaking at the conclusion of the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested that in the 2026-2030 period, the implementation of the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas must be more drastic and clear, with focused and key investments, completing each task thoroughly, focusing on the goal of continuing to continuously improve the material and spiritual life of ethnic minority and mountainous people, in the spirit of each year being higher than the previous year, each term being higher than the previous term; creating a movement and trend of ethnic minority and mountainous people being self-reliant, self-reliant, escaping poverty, and getting rich from their hands, minds, land, and sky of their homeland; having equal access to education, health care, culture, and national resources; Create more jobs and livelihoods for people to escape poverty with practical, specific, feasible goals that are easy to check, easy to monitor, easy to understand, easy to do, easy to evaluate, with the spirit of not leaving anyone behind in the process of national development in the new period.

The Prime Minister emphasized: Investing in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is investing in development, both a responsibility and an obligation, as well as a sentiment, a heart, with national love, compatriot love, sharing, noble humanity, with the heart of "speaking honestly, thinking honestly, doing honestly, achieving real results". Focus on concretizing the Party's guidelines into state policies and laws to organize synchronously throughout the entire political system with a view of high determination, greatest efforts, and drastic actions...

At the Conference, the Prime Minister awarded Certificates of Merit to 18 collectives with outstanding achievements in implementing the Program for the 2021-2025 period.

News and photos: Duy Tuan

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/tin-moi/202508/tong-ket-chuong-trinh-muc-tieu-quoc-gia-phat-trien-kt-xh-vung-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-va-mien-nui-giai-doan-1-2021-2025-fb23bd3/