More support for ethnic minorities to develop production

On July 10, at the 19th session of the 14th Provincial People's Council, Resolution No. 216/NQ-HDND was issued on supplementing, adjusting, and allocating the provincial budget estimate for 2024, including a reduction of nearly VND 288 billion in public expenditures to support production development, supplementing and increasing other development investment expenditures to entrust the Bank for Social Policies to lend for production development. This is an important support for ethnic minority people to develop production models and implement the new rural construction program in the locality.

Ba Che District Agricultural Technical Service Center inspects and evaluates the mechanization model for spring crop production in 2024. Photo provided by the unit

In the annual provincial budget allocation, Quang Ninh province always allocates a certain budget to implement national target programs to support people, especially people in ethnic minority areas, to develop production. However, over the past year, no production development projects of enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative groups and households have been established for approval by competent authorities as a basis for disbursing capital to support production development from the provincial budget to support localities.

Specifically, in 2023, the provincial budget allocated over 155 billion VND of capital to support production of the National Target Program on New Rural Construction; but by the end of 2023, the whole province had only disbursed about 800 million VND (only Binh Lieu district implemented and disbursed), the remaining 154 billion VND had not been disbursed.

In 2024, the provincial budget will continue to allocate 300 billion VND to implement 3 national target programs for 9/13 localities with budget difficulties; Ha Long, Uong Bi, Cam Pha, Dong Trieu localities will balance their regular budgets to implement the program. With this capital, by the end of June 2024, only 4 localities have allocated over 12 billion VND (Ba Che, Tien Yen, Binh Lieu, Dam Ha), the remaining 5 localities have not allocated and have written requests to return the funds to the provincial budget.

Through the assessment and review of the Provincial New Rural Area Coordination Office, the main reason is that some residential communities have the ability to implement production development projects but have not yet ensured support conditions, production land is located in the planning area to change the purpose to industry, services... or does not ensure the participation rate of people when households are located in wards that are not subject to the New Rural Area Program. On the other hand, the conditions of household groups and cooperatives registering to implement projects under each national target program do not meet the minimum rate of people belonging to poor households, near-poor households, and newly escaped poverty households of 50% to implement the national target program on poverty reduction; the production location is also not located in a particularly difficult commune or village, so it is not eligible for support for production development under the national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; The regulations are all attached to the post-investment support project, so enterprises and cooperatives that want to participate must have economic potential and knowledge to carry out investment procedures.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Son, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief of the Office of the Provincial New Rural Area Coordination, said: In addition to the above reasons, localities have not been really determined and active in mobilizing, calling for and guiding enterprises and cooperatives to build value chain linkage projects from products to consumption; have not enthusiastically supported and guided people in building production development projects, especially people in ethnic minority areas. To overcome the situation of not being able to disburse capital in 2023 and to preserve the province's allocated capital in 2024, the Department has presided over and coordinated with relevant departments, branches, units and localities to develop and submit to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and promulgation of a decision stipulating the conditions, contents and preferential loan levels to implement the credit policy to support trust through the Bank for Social Policies in the province from the capital source to implement the National Target Programs. Thus, when the Provincial People's Council decides to entrust the above capital source through the Provincial Social Policy Bank, it will help people have easier access to credit sources. This also continues to demonstrate the great concern of the province in allocating resources to implement social security through policy credit activities in the locality.

Dam Ha District Social Policy Bank disburses credit loans to people in Quang An Commune (Dam Ha District). Photo: Cao Quynh

Accordingly, the subjects supported with preferential loans include enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative unions in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, rural areas, poor districts; ethnic minority individuals, poor households, near-poor households, households that have just escaped poverty, households with average living standards, and workers in areas within the scope of implementation of national target programs. The submission, approval and assignment of medium-term public investment plans and annual investment capital plans to entrust to the local Social Policy Bank will not have to establish a list of programs and projects according to the provisions of the Law on Public Investment.

The province's decision to allow adjustment of unused capital sources for production development support from localities and entrust them to the provincial Social Policy Bank aims to effectively promote resources from the budget and preserve capital. Therefore, immediately after the Resolution was issued, relevant agencies, units and localities quickly implemented and put the Resolution into practice to promote economic development and income increase for ethnic minority people.

Ms. Vu Thi Ngoc Bich, Director of the Provincial Social Policy Bank, said: After the Provincial People's Committee allocates capital, the unit will organize early disbursement of capital so that people can easily access it on the basis of carefully reviewing the right beneficiaries and areas, contributing to production development. At the same time, the bank will also closely follow the planning targets assigned by the central and local governments, focus on implementation, strive to complete 100% of the assigned credit growth plan before October 31, 2024, in which attention will be paid to implementation to ensure compliance with policies, right beneficiaries, and strengthen supervision of borrowers to use capital for the right purposes.

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