Decision No. 35/TTg Approves the Program for Building Central Villages Clusters in Mountainous Areas and Highlands

Article 1. Approve the Program for Building Central Villages Clusters in Mountainous Areas and Highlands to serve as a basis for relevant Ministries and provinces to develop five-year plans and annual plans, with the main contents as follows:

Mobilize all local resources, coordinate and integrate various programs within the area to build essential infrastructure at each central village cluster, aiming to create a driving force to promote economic and social development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions, contributing to ensuring national security and defense.

Promote cultural and social activities in sub-regions, fostering exchanges between villages and between village clusters and urban areas to leverage community strength, manage all economic and social activities, preserve and promote ethnic identity, and contribute to building new rural areas in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

The program will be implemented in mountainous and highland communes in mountainous provinces and those with mountainous areas.

During the period from 1997 to 2005, approximately 500 central village clusters in Region 3 (high mountains, border areas, and regions with particularly difficult ethnic minorities) will be constructed.

1. Central village cluster transportation system;

2. Electricity for production and daily life;

3. Water supply and drainage for the central village cluster;

4. Administrative area: Including the People's Committee office and other commune-level departments;

5. Multi-purpose health clinic for the village cluster;

6. Educational area: Including boarding schools and primary schools;

7. Service and trade area: Including retail stores, markets, banks, post offices, bus stations;

8. Agricultural and forestry extension station: Office space, accommodation, seedling nursery;

9. Industrial facilities: Including processing and manufacturing facilities, blacksmiths, carpentry, weaving workshops;

10. Information and cultural-social area: Radio and television station.

The total investment capital for 500 central village clusters is 25,000 billion VND (this is the indicative figure to serve as a basis for developing specific projects for each central village cluster).

Sources of funds:

State budget capital (including that of localities and international organizations' funding).

Loan capital.

Community mobilized capital.

Article 2. On Organizational Implementation:

The Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas shall take the lead, together with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in selecting central village clusters according to priority order and guiding localities in developing specific project proposals for approval in accordance with current regulations on investment management and construction. After the project has been approved by the competent authority, the Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas shall be responsible for supervising and urging localities to implement it.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall be responsible for:

Balancing the budget allocated by the state budget for approved projects, submitting to the Prime Minister for decision within the annual budget plan indicators of the provinces.

Coordinating with the Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas and related ministries and agencies to lead the development of mechanisms for coordinating and integrating various programs within the same central village cluster area and directing their implementation.

Provincial People's Committees in mountainous areas shall be responsible for:

Being the managing investors of the projects and deciding the investors for each project.

Actively coordinating with related ministries and agencies in integrating various programs within the same area to effectively implement the Program for Building Central Village Clusters.

Article 3. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government agencies, and Chairmen of People's Committees in mountainous provinces and those with mountainous areas are responsible for implementing this Decision./.