Resolution No. 30a/2008/NQ-CP on the Program to Rapidly and Sustainably Reduce Poverty in 61 Poor Districts

RESOLUTION

On the Program to Rapidly Reduce Poverty and

Sustainably for 61 Poor Districts

Eradicating hunger and reducing poverty is a major policy of the Party and State aimed at improving the material and spiritual lives of the poor, narrowing the development gap between regions, areas, and ethnic groups. The achievements in eradicating hunger and reducing poverty in recent years have contributed to sustainable economic growth and social equity, highly evaluated by the international community. However, the results of poverty reduction are not yet stable, the wealth-poor gap between regions and ethnic groups has not been narrowed, especially in districts with high poverty rates.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs by the end of 2006, the whole country had 61 districts (including 797 communes and towns) in 20 provinces with a household poverty rate over 50%. Our Party and State have implemented many policies and allocated significant resources to prioritize the development of this region, but the level of change remains slow, the living conditions of ethnic minority people still face many difficulties, with a poverty rate three and a half times higher than the national average.

There are many reasons for the situation above, but mainly because these districts are all located in mountainous areas, with rugged terrain, large natural area but little arable land; unfavorable weather conditions, often experiencing flash floods and landslides; the population includes 2.4 million people, of which more than 90% are ethnic minorities, living scattered, with low income (average 2.5 million VND/person/year), mainly from agriculture but with backward production levels; infrastructure is both lacking and poor; local revenue averages 3 billion VND per district per year. State support sources are scattered, lack coordination, have low efficiency, and have not adequately supported production development; the grassroots cadre team is weak and lacks scientific and technical cadres; it has not attracted businesses to invest in economic and social development. In addition, the mentality of relying on state investment and support is still strong among some cadres and residents, thus limiting the full play of internal strength and efforts to rise up.

To continue to accelerate the campaign to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty, at the meeting on November 18, 2008, the Government discussed and resolved to implement the Program to Rapidly and Sustainably Reduce Poverty for 61 districts in 20 provinces with a household poverty rate over 50% (hereinafter referred to as the Program to Support Poor Districts) as follows:

Part I
VIEWPOINT AND OBJECTIVES

I. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. Eradicating hunger and reducing poverty is a major, consistent policy of the Party and State, and a cause of the entire people. It is necessary to mobilize the resources of the State, society, and the people to effectively exploit the potential and advantages of each locality, especially forestry and agricultural production to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty, and sustainably develop the economy and society. Along with state investment and social community support, the effort and struggle of the poor and poor households to escape poverty is the decisive factor for the success of the campaign to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty.

2. The rapid and sustainable poverty reduction program for poor districts is the top political task, directly led by the Party's leadership bodies, closely directed and coordinated by various levels of government, positively coordinated by the Fatherland Front and mass organizations; at the same time, it must fully leverage the role of the people in planning, organizing implementation, supervision, and evaluating the effectiveness of the Program.

3. Along with continuing to implement general poverty reduction policies nationwide, the Central Committee will focus on mobilizing resources to invest in and support rapid and sustainable poverty reduction for 61 poor districts. Based on the spirit of this Resolution, provincial and centrally-administered city authorities should select additional poor districts within their jurisdiction, particularly those with concentrated ethnic minority populations, to mobilize local resources to support these districts in reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development.

II. OBJECTIVES

1. General Objective

Creating a faster improvement in the material and spiritual lives of the poor and ethnic minority people in poor districts, ensuring that by 2020 they are on par with other districts in the region. Supporting sustainable agricultural and forestry production, moving towards commodity production, and fully exploiting the strengths of each locality. Building socio-economic infrastructure suitable for the characteristics of each district; transforming the economic structure and forms of production organization effectively according to plans; building a stable rural society rich in ethnic cultural identity; raising public awareness, protecting the ecological environment; ensuring solid national security and defense.

2. Specific objectives by 2010

Reducing the poverty rate below 40% (according to the poverty standard defined in Decision No. 170/2005/QD-TTg dated July 8, 2005); basically eliminating households living in temporary housing; basically completing land allocation and forest transfer; providing food subsidies for people in areas where production organization is not possible, border areas to ensure livelihoods. Making initial progress in agricultural and forestry production, rural economy, and improving the people's lives based on promoting agricultural development, protecting and developing forests, accelerating the construction of rural socio-economic infrastructure; strengthening research and technology transfer, making breakthroughs in human resource training; implementing the new rural construction program initially; the proportion of rural laborers trained, instructed, and trained reaching over 25%.

3. Specific objectives by 2015.

Reducing the poverty rate to the average level of the province. Strengthening the capacity of the people and communities to effectively utilize essential infrastructure projects invested in, gradually leveraging geographical advantages, and efficiently utilizing natural resources; initially developing production towards small and medium-scale commodity production, enabling people to conveniently access production services and product markets; agricultural labor remaining under 60% of total social labor; the proportion of rural laborers trained, instructed, and trained reaching over 40%.

4. Specific objectives by 2020

Reduce the poverty rate to be on par with the regional average. Address the production, employment, and income issues fundamentally to improve the living standards of residents in poor districts five to six times higher than the current level. Agricultural labor still accounts for about 50% of social labor, with the proportion of rural laborers who have been trained, instructed, and trained reaching over 50%; approximately 50% of communes meet the new rural standard. Develop a synchronized economic and social infrastructure in rural areas, primarily the irrigation system to ensure proactive water supply for the entire paddy land capable of two crops, expanding the irrigated area for vegetables and industrial crops; ensuring smooth transportation throughout the year to most communes and basically having roads accessible by automobiles to all villages and hamlets that have been planned; providing electricity for almost all residents; ensuring basic conditions for education, healthcare, cultural activities, spiritual life, and preservation of ethnic cultural identity.

Part II
MECHANISMS, POLICIES, AND SUPPORT SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE POVERTY

I. CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING CURRENT REGIMES AND POLICIES ON DIRECT SUPPORT FOR POOR PEOPLE IN POOR DISTRICTS WITH MODIFICATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO EXPAND ELIGIBLE BENEFICIARIES AND INCREASE SUPPORT LEVELS AND INVESTMENT.

II. SOME MECHANISMS, POLICIES, AND SPECIAL SOLUTIONS FOR POOR DISTRICTS

A. SUPPORT FOR PRODUCTION, JOB CREATION, AND INCOME INCREASE

1. Policy support through contracts for forest management and protection, allocation of forests, and land for planting productive forests:

a) Households receiving contracts for forest management and protection (special-use forests, protective forests, natural forests classified as productive forests with rich or medium reserves but closed off) shall enjoy a contract payment of 200,000 VND/hectare/year;

b) Households allocated productive forests (various types of forests reclassified as productive forests after planning, but not included in the forest management and protection contracts mentioned in point a) and allocated land for planting productive forests according to plans, shall enjoy the following policies:

- Enjoying the full products from the allocated productive forest area;

- Receiving initial support for forestry seedlings according to the productive forest planting process from 2 to 5 million VND/hectare (the specific support level is determined based on the seedling prices of each locality by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city);

c) For poor households receiving contracts for forest management and protection, allocated forests, and land for planting productive forests, in addition to the policies stipulated in points a and b above, they will also receive support:

- Receiving a rice subsidy of 15 kg/person/month during the period when they cannot self-sustain food (the duration of the rice subsidy is decided by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city, but not exceeding 7 years);

- Receiving a one-time support of 5 million VND/hectare/household to utilize and create agricultural production land within the contracted forest management and protection area and the allocated land for planting productive forests;

- The state budget will subsidize 50% of the interest on loans taken from state commercial banks for planting productive forests.

2. Production support policy

a) Allocating funds for reviewing and developing production planning for agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and adjusting crop and livestock structures suitable to the specific conditions of each district and commune, especially those with harsh natural conditions frequently affected by disasters;

b) For areas with potential for land reclamation, rehabilitation, or terraced field creation for agricultural production, support is provided at 10 million VND/hectare for reclamation; 5 million VND/hectare for rehabilitation; and 10 million VND/hectare for terraced fields;

c) Providing one-time full funding for purchasing seeds and fertilizers for high-value crop and livestock conversion; prioritizing support for hybrid rice and corn;

d) The state budget will subsidize 50% of the interest on loans taken from state commercial banks for agricultural production development, investment in processing facilities, storage, and marketing of agricultural products;

đ) For poor households, in addition to the policies stipulated in Clause 1, Points a, b, c, and d of Clause 2, they will also receive support for livestock breeding, aquaculture, and small-scale industry development:

- Being able to borrow up to 5 million VND/household with a 0% interest rate (once) for a period of 2 years to purchase livestock seeds (buffalo, cattle, goats) or concentrated poultry seeds or aquaculture seeds; one-time support: 1 million VND/household for building livestock sheds or aquaculture areas and 2 million VND/hectare for purchasing grass seeds if raising livestock;

- Receiving 100% funding for vaccines against dangerous diseases for livestock and poultry;

- For households without conditions for livestock breeding but with a need to develop small-scale industries for income generation, they can borrow up to 5 million VND/household with a 0% interest rate (once).

4. Strengthening and supporting agricultural extension workers, forestry extension workers, fishery extension workers, plant protection services, veterinary services, and food safety services in poor districts to build agricultural, forestry, and fishery extension centers into technology transfer and service centers to promote production development in the area. Allocate twice the average budget for agricultural, forestry, and fishery extension compared to other districts; provide 100% funding for seeds and materials for agricultural, forestry, and fishery extension model construction; people participating in training and instruction will receive training materials, 100% funding for meals, travel, and 10,000 VND/day/person; each village and hamlet will be allocated at least one agricultural extension subsidy (including agricultural, forestry, and fishery extension).

5. Encouraging and supporting businesses, cooperatives, and farms to invest in production, processing, and business operations in poor districts:

a) Enjoying the most favorable conditions and highest incentives as stipulated by current national regulations;

b) For agricultural, forestry, and aquatic product processing facilities established in poor districts, the state budget will subsidize 50% of the interest on loans taken from state commercial banks.

6. Supporting each district with 100 million VND/year for trade promotion, product promotion, and information dissemination to farmers, particularly local specialty agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products.

6. Support each district with one hundred million VND per year for promoting trade, advertising, and introducing products, especially local specialty agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products; providing market information to farmers.

7. Encourage, create conditions, and adopt preferential policies to attract organizations and scientists to directly conduct research, apply, and transfer scientific and technological advancements in the locality, especially the selection and transfer of crop and livestock breeds for production in poor districts.

8. Labor export policy: support vocational training, language training, cultural education, orientation training (including accommodation, meals, travel, initial supplies, processing fees, and preferential loans)... to enable laborers from poor districts to participate in labor export; strive to send approximately 7,500 to 8,000 laborers from poor districts to work abroad each year (an average of 10 workers/village).

B. EDUCATION, TRAINING, VOCATIONAL TRAINING, AND POPULARIZATION POLICIES

1. Education, training, and popularization policies: allocate sufficient teachers for poor districts; support the construction of "halfway houses" and housing for teachers in villages and hamlets; establish county-level ethnic boarding schools linked with various levels of education in the county (including secondary boarding schools) to meet the demand for local cadre training in poor districts; strengthen and expand preferential training policies through recruitment and targeted training for minority students, prioritizing agricultural, forestry, health, family planning, village teacher training, and legal aid to enhance legal awareness.

2. Strengthen vocational training linked with job creation: invest in building one comprehensive vocational training center in each district that enjoys preferential policies, including dormitories for trainees to organize on-site vocational training for rural laborers in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and non-agricultural trades; centralized vocational training to send rural laborers to work in enterprises and for labor export.

3. Cadre training policies at the grassroots level: train specialized cadres and primary healthcare staff for children from poor districts at defense training institutions; prioritize selecting conscripts who have completed their military service and are from the locality for cadre training and supplementation for the locality.

4. Policies to improve the capacity of grassroots cadres: organize short-term and long-term training sessions for cadres at the village, hamlet, commune, and district levels on knowledge of economic and social management; program and project development and management; skills in planning and implementation.

5. Enhance resources for implementing population and family planning policies. Intensify communication and mobilization efforts combined with the provision of family planning services to improve the quality of the population in poor districts.

C. POLICIES FOR CADRES IN POOR DISTRICTS

1. Implement rotation and reinforcement policies for provincial and district cadres to assume key leadership positions in communes to organize and implement mechanisms and policies for poor districts; implement initial allowance systems for cadres involved in rotation; provide salary, allowances, and appointment policies after completing tasks.

2. Adopt supportive policies and appropriate incentives to attract young intellectuals to join working teams in communes within poor districts.

D. INVESTMENT MECHANISMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AT THE VILLAGE, HAMLET, COMMUNE, AND DISTRICT LEVELS

1. Accelerate the implementation of residential area planning in places with favorable conditions and those frequently affected by natural disasters; enhance investment efficiency.

2. Utilize annual budget development funds (including balanced budget funds at the local level and support from the central government budget), government bonds, funds from programs and projects, and ODA funds to prioritize investment in the following socio-economic infrastructure projects:

a) For the district level: secondary general education schools; county-level ethnic boarding schools (including student housing) with a scale to meet the educational needs of minority children in the area; district-level comprehensive vocational training centers (including trainee housing); district hospitals, regional hospitals, and district preventive health centers meeting standards; integrated agricultural, forestry, and fishery service centers; county-level and inter-commune water conservancy works; roads from province to district, from district center to commune, and inter-commune; commune cluster centers;

b) For the commune and sub-commune levels: invest in essential basic infrastructure projects (including repair, upgrade, maintenance, and upkeep costs for existing projects) in all communes within the district (excluding towns), including: schools (classrooms, schools, including kindergartens, nursery classes, halfway houses, teacher housing); commune health stations meeting standards (including medical staff housing); inter-village and hamlet roads, roads to concentrated economic and production areas (including bridges and culverts); irrigation works for agricultural production (field canals and small-scale irrigation); electricity for production and daily life; water supply facilities (centralized or decentralized, wells, reservoirs); central commune markets; commune radio relay stations; communal cultural houses; waste treatment, land leveling for industrial clusters, and craft villages.

III. IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS

1. The Prime Minister decides on the levels of support and, if necessary, amends the support levels specified in this Resolution to suit the actual situation at each stage.

2. For areas and subjects in the 61 poor districts, if they are currently benefiting from other preferential policies not overlapping with the policies stipulated in this Resolution, they will continue to enjoy these policies; if there is overlap with the policies in this Resolution but with different levels of preference, they will benefit from the highest level of preference. All communes in poor districts shall enjoy the mechanisms and policies prescribed as for particularly difficult communes under Phase II of Program 135.

3. Delegate the People's Committee at the district level to base decisions on specific investments on the overall support mechanism and policies for poverty reduction, taking into account the actual needs of people in each village, hamlet, and commune, and the resources from programs and projects in the area, ensuring synchronized and effective investment.

4. Enact regulations on investment, bidding, and financial mechanisms suitable for the characteristics and organizational capacity at poor districts; small-scale projects at village level shall be assigned to village groups, teams, associations to implement; ensure the efficient and economical use of investment capital while establishing transparent and easy-to-implement mechanisms to facilitate community and public participation, thereby increasing income.

5. The Program's capital includes state budget funds, ODA funds, government bonds, investment credit, contributions from enterprises and residents, and funds from ongoing programs and projects recorded in annual and five-year plans.

Capital allocation will be based on actual needs and progress schedules as stated in the approved poverty reduction project of the poor district.

Part III
IMPLEMENTATION

I. CENTRAL MINISTRIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

A. GENERAL TASKS

1. Based on this Resolution, ministries and sectors shall develop specific documents and organize implementation according to their functions, guiding poor districts to formulate sustainable poverty reduction projects within February 2009.

2. Ministries shall prioritize resources from programs and projects under their management to invest in completing economic and social infrastructure projects for poor districts.

3. Assign the Steering Committee for Poverty Reduction Programs to guide, direct, monitor, inspect, and evaluate the progress of the Program and report annually to the Government on its results.

B. SPECIFIC TASKS

1. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, as the permanent body of the Poverty Reduction Programs, shall lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to implement, monitor, and assess the effectiveness of the Program; develop export labor projects; submit and promulgate policies supporting vocational training and export labor in poor districts; direct priority investments in vocational training facilities linked to employment and export labor.

2. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall lead and coordinate with the Steering Committee for Poverty Reduction Programs to establish inter-ministerial working groups to review the projects of the 61 poor districts in the first quarter of 2009; lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to study and amend investment and bidding laws to suit the characteristics and organizational capacity of poor districts; lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to balance development investment funds annually for poor districts.

3. The Ministry of Finance shall lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, and relevant ministries to allocate public service funds for poor districts; study and coordinate with related ministries to amend financial mechanisms to suit the special circumstances and organizational capacity of poor districts.

4. The Committee for Ethnic Minorities shall lead and direct the implementation and revision of current policies towards enhancing the standards of existing ethnic minority programs (Program 135, cluster commune centers, Decision No. 134/2004/QD-TTg, Decision No. 32/2007/QD-TTg, Decision No. 33/2007/QD-TTg, price and freight subsidy policies, and human resource development projects for ethnic minorities), and supplement special policies for the 61 poor districts, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for decision.

5. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to direct and guide production planning in poor districts; population resettlement planning; support policies for production development in poor districts; guide the implementation of existing mechanisms and policies, particularly those concerning combined agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production.

6. The Ministry of National Defense shall lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health, and related localities to train and instruct to improve the professional skills of medical staff in poor communes; build combined military-civilian health stations; coordinate with the Communist Youth Union to mobilize young intellectuals to volunteer in poor communes and economic-defense zones to provide cadres for localities; direct border defense forces, economic-defense units, and security forces to participate in building infrastructure; establish vocational schools to train demobilized soldiers and local workers; organize cultural and artistic activities to help people adopt new lifestyles, ensuring public security and social safety.

7. The Ministry of Construction shall lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to study and amend construction laws to suit the characteristics and organizational capacity of poor districts; coordinate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to direct, guide, and allocate funds to address basic housing needs for poor households and ethnic minorities in poor districts until 2010.

8. The Ministry of Transport shall review, supplement, and complete regulations on transportation development planning in poor districts; prioritize funding for national highways, provincial roads, and rural roads connecting to commune centers to serve economic and social development in poor districts.

9. The Ministry of Education and Training shall lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to submit and promulgate preferential policies for teachers and students; direct priority allocation of government bond funds to complete the construction of school facilities meeting standards by 2010.

10. The Ministry of Health shall lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to submit and promulgate preferential health policies; direct the allocation of government bond funds to complete the construction of district hospitals and regional general hospitals, and village health stations meeting national standards by 2010; strengthen guidance on population and family planning work to improve population quality.

11. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to submit and promulgate policies for cadre rotation and reinforcement in poor communes; preferential policies to attract young intellectuals and technical professionals to work in poor communes.

12. The State Bank of Vietnam shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries to propose and promulgate preferential credit policies for poor households, production and business households, enterprises, cooperatives, and farms investing in production and business development in poor districts.

13. The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to propose and promulgate policies to encourage craft industries, attract investment to develop industrial sectors, and guide trade promotion, publicity, and product introduction for poor districts.

14. The Ministry of Science and Technology shall propose mechanisms and policies for technology transfer and research and development of crop and livestock varieties that are effective and suitable for the specific conditions of each locality.

15. The Ministry of Justice shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to propose and promulgate legal support policies for the poor and ethnic minority groups to enhance their awareness and understanding of the law.

II. LOCALITIES

1. The Chairperson of the People's Committees of provinces having poor districts shall organize the approval of poverty reduction programs of these districts based on this Resolution; be responsible before the Prime Minister for directing the implementation of the program's objectives and tasks, allocating sufficient investment capital for the poor districts within the approved total budget; direct the annual plan formulation and approval of the poor districts; annually organize supervision and evaluation of the implementation results, and submit them to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs for consolidation and reporting to the Government.

2. The People's Committees of poor districts shall base on the national targets, tasks, mechanisms, policies, quotas, and standards to formulate sustainable poverty reduction programs for submission to the competent authority for approval; direct the annual plan formulation, aggregate demands from below, prioritize them, and submit to the provincial People's Committee for approval; direct and approve the annual plans of communes; establish a district Steering Committee (comprising leadership of party committees, administrative bodies, representatives of mass organizations, and businesses) to direct the implementation of the program.

3. The People's Committees of communes shall develop annual plans with community participation for submission to the district People's Committee for approval and implementation.

III. REQUESTS TO THE VIETNAM FATHERLAND FRONT CENTRAL COMMITTEE: take the lead and coordinate with member organizations to direct grassroots associations to effectively organize propaganda and mobilization work to encourage members and the public to participate in campaigns supporting and helping poor districts to reduce poverty quickly and sustainably, such as the "Day for the Poor" movement, the whole people building cultural life in residential areas movement,新农村建设运动；激励和鼓励人民的自主性，帮助他们摆脱贫困。中国共产主义青年团组织好青年、知识分子自愿到贫困乡工作。

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and industry associations shall take the lead in organizing efforts to mobilize members to participate in adoption and sisterhood support movements for poor districts in infrastructure development for production and living needs, product processing and sales, vocational training, job creation, etc.; encourage state-owned economic groups and corporations to each support at least one poor district in infrastructure investment; support production and technology transfer; provide free vocational training and employment opportunities to increase household income and contribute to rapid and sustainable poverty reduction.

Mass media shall have the responsibility to promote and disseminate the State's policies and initiatives to support and accelerate poverty reduction in high-poverty districts, creating social consensus on poverty reduction goals in the country./.