Thuan Chau (Son La): Concentrating resources to effectively implement Program 1719 to improve the lives of ethnic minorities

Thuan Chau is the district with the largest number of communes in Son La province, with a large area, including 24/29 communes in region III, with 271 extremely difficult villages; ethnic minorities account for over 94% of the district's population. Over the past years, Thuan Chau district has been making efforts to implement national target programs (NTPs), including the NTP on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, phase 1: From 2021-2025 (abbreviated as NTP 1719). On October 31, 2024, the Party Committee of the Ethnic Committee organized the 61st Executive Committee Conference, term 2020-2025. Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee, Minister, Chairman of the Ethnic Committee Hau A Lenh chaired the Conference. Attending the Conference were comrade Nguyen Khac Tien, member of the Party Executive Committee, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Central Agencies; comrades of the Standing Committee, members of the Party Executive Committee. On the morning of October 31, in Doha, Qatar, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Thuan Chau is the district with the largest number of communes in Son La province, with a large area, including 24/29 communes in region III, with 271 extremely difficult villages; ethnic minorities account for over 94% of the district's population. Over the past years, Thuan Chau district has been making efforts to implement national target programs (NTPs), including the NTP for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, phase 1: From 2021-2025 (abbreviated as NTP 1719). As of September 30, the total capital mobilized by the Transaction Office of the Bank for Social Policies (CSXH) in Nghia Lo town in the area reached 543,815 million VND, equal to 99.3% of the annual plan; disbursed 2,324 customers with an amount of 122,959 million VND, outstanding loans reached 542,565 million VND, equal to 99.36% of the plan, an increase of 48,729 million VND compared to the beginning of the year. The growth rate reached 9.87%. Credit quality is maintained, the overdue debt ratio is below 0.1%. Hung Loi is a particularly difficult commune of Yen Son district (Tuyen Quang), with a total of 1,730 households and 7,839 people. The commune's socio-economic situation mainly depends on agricultural production, the Mong ethnic group accounts for over 50% of the population, and people's lives in the commune face many difficulties. On October 31, the Vietnam Women's Museum organized a media event "Sunshine on the Mountain" at Bac Ha Secondary and High School, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province. The event is within the framework of Project 8 "Implementing gender equality and solving urgent issues for women and children", chaired by the Vietnam Women's Union. In 2 days (October 29 and 30, 2024), the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Binh Thuan province organized the first provincial-level law competition in 2024. The competition had the participation of 105 contestants from 7 delegations: Tuy Phong, Bac Binh, Ham Thuan Bac, Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Tan, Tanh Linh and Duc Linh. The summary news of the Ethnic Minorities and Development Newspaper, on October 31, had the following notable information: Tradition and contemporary intermingle at the Ninh Binh Festival 2024. So that tourists no longer get lost on Lang Biang peak. The person who elevates Muong Dong medicinal products. Along with other current news in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. On the morning of October 31, in the city. Pleiku, Gia Lai province opened the 2024 Law Competition on Ethnic Minorities. Nearly 250 contestants from 14 teams from districts, towns and cities in the province participated. The Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union (VYU) has just announced a list of 60 outstanding teachers participating in the program "Sharing with teachers" in 2024. Of which, 25 are ethnic minority teachers. On October 31, 2024, the Party Committee of the Ethnic Minorities Committee held the 61st Executive Committee Conference, term 2020-2025. Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee, Minister, Chairman of the Ethnic Minorities Committee Hau A Lenh chaired the Conference. Attending the Conference were comrade Nguyen Khac Tien, member of the Party Executive Committee, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Central Agencies; comrades of the Standing Committee, members of the Party Executive Committee. On October 31, the Ethnic Minorities Committee of An Giang province coordinated with the People's Committee of Thoai Son district to organize the giving of gifts to ethnic minority households, poor households, and disadvantaged households in Phu Thuan commune (Thoai Son district, An Giang). During the discussion session on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance (HI) at the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly, National Assembly Deputies paid attention to the issue of expanding the beneficiaries of the policy paid or supported by the State, emphasizing ethnic minority students.

Renovating concrete roads and inter-village roads in Thuan Chau district with funds from the National Target Program 1719

As a highland district mostly inhabited by ethnic minorities, Thuan Chau has focused on leading, directing and effectively implementing the National Target Program 1719. Thereby, being proactive and determined in organizing, managing, operating, and guiding implementation, to contribute to improving the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities in the area.

Focus resources on implementing the Program

Identifying the difficulty of the district is that there are up to 24/29 communes in region III that are particularly difficult, therefore, in order to care for and stabilize the lives of ethnic minorities, the Party Committee, government and people must be determined and unanimous to effectively implement the State's investment policies, deploy support for plant varieties, livestock and production tools; pay attention to vocational training, support workers to have stable, long-term jobs. At the same time, exploit the potential and advantages of the region....

Thuan Chau district has focused on directing specialized agencies, communes and towns to first promote propaganda and mobilize people to change crop and livestock structure; apply science and technology, high technology in production, build product brands, trace origin. Create conditions for households to access preferential loans, develop production. After more than 4 years (phase 1: 2021 - 2025) of implementing the National Target Program, Thuan Chau district has formed a concentrated production area.

“For projects and works approved by the Provincial People's Committee, the District People's Committee directs agencies, units, and Project Management Boards to urge contractors to conduct surveys, appraisals, and submit economic and technical reports to the District People's Committee for approval,” said a representative of the leader of the Ethnic Minorities Department of Thuan Chau district.

Nong Lay commune households receive water tanks for daily life

Thanks to that, the people in the district have improved their lives, housing and living conditions. In the period of 2019-2023, the district has supported machinery and agricultural tools for production for 390 poor households; more than 900 poor households lacking production land have received loans to change their jobs. Supported fish and calf breeds for 646 La Ha ethnic households in 4 communes of Nong Lay, Chieng La, Chieng Pha, Liep Te, with a total cost of more than 6.6 billion VND. Organized training to improve knowledge on production and livelihood development for 504 La Ha ethnic households. There are 5,959 households that have access to preferential loans from the District Social Policy Bank Transaction Office, with a total outstanding loan of 822 billion VND.

Currently, the appearance of the district's new urban and rural areas has improved a lot. Roads, electricity, schools, and stations have been invested in construction; 100% of communes have paved roads to the center; 72.9% of villages and sub-areas have concrete roads; 99% of households have access to the national grid; 100% of the population has access to clean water. The district has 5 communes meeting new rural standards. Attention has been paid to education and health care; the movement to build a cultural life has been promoted. Political security and social order and safety have always been maintained and stabilized.

At the end of 2023, Huoi Long Village, Nong Lay Commune, Thuan Chau District, welcomed the joy when the internal roads and alleys were completed and put into use with a total length of nearly 3km, with a total investment of more than 1.2 billion VND from the project capital "Investment in developing ethnic groups with very few people and ethnic groups with many difficulties" under the National Target Program 1719, phase 2021-2030, phase I from 2021-2025.

Mr. Lo Van Yen, Party Cell Secretary and Head of Huoi Long Village, said: “The village has 5 ethnic groups: La Ha, Khang, Thai, Kho Mu, Kinh living together; of which, the La Ha ethnic group has 140 households. Previously, the village road was a dirt road, muddy when it rained, dusty when it was sunny, affecting the lives and economic development of the people. Now, the road has been concreted solidly, cleanly, convenient for travel, and the people's agricultural products can be bought by cars at high prices in the village. The village mobilizes the people to regularly clean, protect, and use the project effectively and long-term.”

According to the district's assessment, the locality currently has nearly 4,300 hectares of fruit trees of all kinds; the output in 2023 will reach over 22,500 tons. There are 10 growing area codes; of which, 2 are exported to the US, EU, Australia, Dubai, and Japan markets; 8 are exported to the Chinese market, with a total area of ​​182 hectares; there are 11 production chains, 8 OCOP products. Livestock has developed in terms of quantity, scale and herd structure; initially forming farm models, with over 135,000 cattle, more than 735,000 poultry of all kinds. People in the communes of Son La Hydropower Reservoir raise over 650 fish cages; the output of aquaculture and exploitation reaches 1,300 tons/year. People's lives have improved, by the end of 2023, the poverty rate will decrease to 22.77%.

Thuan Chau mountainous district is increasingly prosperous thanks to the effective implementation of ethnic programs and policies.

Strengthen supervision to promptly adjust shortcomings

Focusing resources to implement the National Target Program 1719, the leader of Thuan Chau district said that the locality pays special attention to inspection and supervision work as well as finding new ways to improve the efficiency of resource use.

Accordingly, the district has effectively integrated capital sources between programs; effectively implemented the motto "The State and the People work together". Urged agencies, units and People's Committees of communes assigned to be project owners, component projects... to promptly implement the contents and items to ensure compliance with the set plan.

The implementation of the Program in Thuan Chau district is also the general direction that the leaders of Son La province have directed localities and agencies in the province to focus on implementing.

According to the leader of the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Son La province, in the process of organizing and implementing the National Target Program 1719, the locality has closely followed the Central Government's guiding documents as well as made adjustments suitable to local realities.

In particular, the province always focuses on inspection and supervision work, thereby promptly detecting and correcting shortcomings. "This is clearly shown in the province's Program implementation plan, which links the responsibility of the head to the results of the Program implementation and considers inspection and supervision as an inseparable task."

Thuan Chau district is determined to strive even harder so that every person has a prosperous and happy life, completely escapes poverty by 2025 and becomes a fairly developed district of Son La province.

The effectiveness of ethnic policies in Thuan Chau

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/thuan-chau-son-la-tap-trung-nguon-luc-thuc-hien-tot-chuong-trinh-1719-nang-cao-doi-song-dong-bao-dtts-1730375488773.htm