23 provinces and cities have 100% of communes meeting new rural standards

The conference was attended by Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Member of the Central Steering Committee, Deputy Head of the Working Group for the Program implementation period 2021 - 2025; and representatives of provinces and cities in the Southeast region and the Mekong Delta.

To date, the country has a total of 7,696 communes, of which 5,995 communes meet the NTM standards, accounting for 77.9%, an increase of 9.8% compared to the end of 2021. The number of communes meeting the advanced NTM standards is 2,352 communes, equivalent to 39.2%, an increase of 1,249 communes compared to the end of 2021. Notably, 597 communes meet the model NTM standards, accounting for 9.95%, an increase of 554 communes compared to the same period. On average, each commune nationwide meets about 17.5 criteria.

At the district level, the country currently has 645 districts, towns and provincial cities. Of these, 305 units have met the standards or completed the task of building new rural areas, accounting for 47.2%, an increase of 92 districts compared to the end of 2021. In addition, 20 districts have met the advanced new rural standards, an increase of 20 districts compared to the end of 2021.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam spoke at the workshop.

At the provincial level, 23 provinces and cities have achieved 100% of their communes meeting the NTM standards, an increase of 10 provinces compared to the end of 2021. Of these, 15 provinces have achieved 100% of their communes and districts meeting the standards or completing the NTM construction task. In addition, 5 provinces have been recognized by the Prime Minister as having completed the NTM construction task, including: Nam Dinh, Dong Nai, Ha Nam, Hung Yen and Hai Duong. In particular, Tra Vinh province has also completed the dossier to submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and recognition of the completion of the NTM task in the coming time.

In the 2026 - 2030 period, the National Target Program on New Rural Development continues to be oriented towards comprehensive and sustainable development, aiming to improve the material and spiritual quality of life of rural people. The overall goal is to promote the construction of modern, green - clean - beautiful rural areas, flexibly adapting to climate change and urbanization trends, while narrowing the development gap between regions and between rural and urban areas.

During this period, the Program focuses on perfecting institutions and policies to support rural areas, creating favorable conditions to attract social resources to invest in agriculture, farmers and rural areas. Improving the quality of NTM criteria, especially in difficult and essential criteria such as income, environment, education, culture and security and order, will be a top priority. The NTM Criteria will also be updated to better suit actual conditions and new development trends.

Along with that, rural economic development associated with digital transformation is a major orientation. Localities are encouraged to apply modern technology, develop ecological agriculture, circular economy and build smart rural models. At the same time, environmental protection activities, waste treatment, green rural development and capacity building to respond to climate change will be promoted.

The program also focuses on developing synchronous infrastructure, connecting rural and urban areas, contributing to building civilized rural areas, closely linked to the urbanization process. Difficult areas, ethnic minorities, mountainous areas and islands will be given appropriate support mechanisms to ensure that no one is left behind.

Delegates working at the workshop.

Regarding specific targets by 2030, the Program sets a target of at least 80% of communes nationwide meeting NTM standards, of which 35% of communes meet advanced NTM standards and 15% of communes meet model NTM standards. At the district level, at least 50% of district-level units meet standards or complete the task of building NTM, of which 20% meet advanced NTM standards. At the provincial level, it is expected that at least 20 provinces/cities will complete the task of building NTM, of which 10 provinces will meet all standards at both commune and district levels.

At the same time, the “One Commune One Product” (OCOP) Program continues to be promoted, with the goal of each commune having at least one OCOP product and the whole country having at least 100 OCOP products meeting 5-star standards. Regarding people's lives, the average income in rural areas by 2030 will increase at least 1.8 times compared to 2020, and the multidimensional poverty rate will decrease to below 3%. In particular, 100% of rural household waste will be collected and treated to ensure environmental protection, and 95% of rural people will use clean water that meets standards.

At the workshop, representatives of provinces and cities in the region gave many comments on building the orientation for implementing the Program in the new period. In particular, comrade Pham Van Trong, Provincial Party Committee member, Vice Chairman of Tien Giang Provincial People's Committee said: In the past time, Tien Giang province has both streamlined the apparatus and focused on implementing the NTM criteria according to the Central's instructions. When rearranging administrative units, the province still follows the roadmap and plan to allocate resources and the Steering Committee.

Comrade Pham Van Trong, Vice Chairman of Tien Giang Provincial People's Committee spoke at the workshop.

In the new phase, the Program must organize new criteria to be appropriate. The new Criteria set needs to be practical and have a clear direction, and needs to be creative and flexible. The Province hopes that through the workshop, the Central Government will take note of the experience that the Program must be appropriate for each phase, locality and region, avoiding being mechanical. It is necessary to clearly define the objectives, tasks and conditions for implementing the Program.

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam requested the Central Program Coordination Office to record all opinions from localities as a basis for developing future orientations. Along with that, Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said that the name of the Program in the new phase should be changed to suit the development of the country. The Program must be transferred to a higher, more modern stage, aiming at building a modern countryside, but still preserving traditional values. Issues that need attention include ensuring security, focusing on cultural development, green economy, circular economy, digital transformation, etc.

The specialized sector researches and builds a new framework of criteria, towards ensuring that the three mountainous regions, urban access areas and rural areas are suitable for agricultural production to develop plans suitable to the characteristics of each development region.

C.WIN

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202504/23-tinh-thanh-pho-co-100-so-xa-dat-chuan-nong-thon-moi-1038814/