Grassroots information is a unique feature of Vietnam and plays an increasingly important role in policy communication.

Conference Overview

Decree No. 49/2024/ND-CP opens up new development space for grassroots information activities

Speaking at the Conference, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam stated that grassroots information is a communication system that directly reaches people, providing essential information that meets the needs of people in each village, hamlet, residential group, commune, ward, and town; at the same time, it is an information medium that effectively serves the direction and administration of grassroots Party committees and authorities.

In the strong digital transformation trend of journalism, multimedia, multi-platform communication, and basic information is gradually changing, applying technology in innovating operating methods.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam: Basic information is a unique feature of Vietnam.

The Deputy Minister said that the Government , ministries, branches and local authorities have been using part of the capacity of the existing information transmission system in the fields of press, publishing, telecommunications, social networks, and Internet applications to organize grassroots information activities, meeting the requirements of providing diverse, timely and effective information to the people. At the same time, forming a team of people working in grassroots information and regularly training and improving the capacity of this team is also an important task.

Therefore, the leaders of the Ministry of Information and Communications have directed the need to innovate institutions and policies so that grassroots information can develop in a modern direction, affirming the position and role of grassroots information in the country's communication system.

Decree No. 49/2024/ND-CP is the first legal document at the decree level regulating all activities in the field of grassroots information. The Decree has opened up a new development space for grassroots information activities, from traditional forms of information to the use of modern, multimedia, and multi-platform forms of information. In particular, the Decree has transformed grassroots information activities from mainly one-way information to interacting with people, receiving feedback information and providing information on the response content of competent agencies, organizations, and individuals to people's feedback information.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tao, Director of the Department of Grassroots Information, introduced new points of Decree 49/2024/ND-CP

Some new points in Decree 49/2024/ND-CP

Mr. Nguyen Van Tao, Director of the Department of Grassroots Information, said that Decree No. 49/2024/ND-CP consists of 4 chapters and 43 articles, effective from July 1, 2024, replacing Decision No. 52/2016/QD-TTg dated December 6, 2016 of the Prime Minister promulgating the Regulation on grassroots information activities.

Decree 49/2024/ND-CP has many new provisions compared to Decision 52/2016/QD-TTg. The Decree has expanded the space for development and interaction with people in grassroots information activities. The Decree has regulated grassroots information activities through 8 types of information, including 3 new types of information: Propaganda through electronic information portals/pages, social networks and Internet messaging applications, telecommunication messages. From there, providing information to people, receiving feedback and information on the content of responses to people's feedback, serving the direction and administration of grassroots Party committees and authorities.

The Decree stipulates that the State ensures necessary resources for grassroots information activities and capacity building for those participating in grassroots information activities; on the operation of radio stations and the responsibilities of the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level; and on connecting public electronic bulletin boards with the provincial source information system.

The conference was held online with a large number of delegates attending at 6,110 provincial, district and commune level locations across the country.

The Decree also mentions the organization of competitions, festivals, and awards on grassroots information, along with the promulgation of royalties and remuneration regimes for media products at district and commune levels.

Decree regulating the termination of broadcasting and rebroadcasting activities of radio and television stations and district-level centers with broadcasting activities before December 31, 2025.

At the same time, Mr. Nguyen Van Tao also disseminated some new ways to achieve the goal of digital transformation in grassroots information activities such as: Organizing the establishment of a broadcasting system applying information technology - telecommunications; deploying a grassroots information source information system; organizing training in grassroots information skills on the MOOCS platform; establishing Zalo OA accounts for grassroots information for communes, wards and towns.

Also at the Conference, Mr. Ngo Thanh Hien, Deputy Director of the Department of Grassroots Information, gave an overview of the grassroot information source information system.

Representatives of the Department of Grassroots Information answered questions and recommendations from delegates regarding the contents of the Decree, including the management and broadcasting of content at commune-level radio stations, concurrent work and allowances for people in charge of commune-level radio stations, funding for maintaining the broadcasting system, issuing press cards, etc. These issues were all specifically answered by Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam and the Director of the Department of Grassroots Information.

Grassroots information systems play an important role in policy communication.

Concluding the Conference, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam stated that Decree No. 49/2024/ND-CP not only provides legal regulations at the decree level in the field of grassroots information but also officially recognizes the role of grassroots information workers in policy communication. The grassroots information system is a unique feature of Vietnam and plays an increasingly important role in policy communication, contributing to compensating for the limitations of the normal press system that cannot closely follow the information needs of the grassroots.

Decree No. 49/2024/ND-CP also sets out a roadmap for innovation, modernization and application of information technology, and requires authorities at all levels to proactively communicate policies to the people in various ways. In the future, the grassroots information system must also be a channel to receive people's feedback and forward responses from state agencies to the people, performing the function of two-way information.

At the end of the third quarter of this year, for the first time, the Ministry of Information and Communications will organize a conference to commend and honor those working in grassroots information, affirming the important role of grassroots information as well as hoping for the attention of Party committees, authorities and the entire political system for the team of people working in grassroots information./.

Source: https://mic.gov.vn/thong-tin-co-so-la-dac-sac-rieng-co-cua-viet-nam-ngay-cang-dong-vai-tro-quan-trong-trong-cong-tac-truyen-thong-chinh-sach-197240628192924308.htm