Decision No. 48/2014/QD-TTg On Support Policies for Poor Households to Build Housing for Typhoon and Flood Prevention in Central Vietnam

 

Pursuant to …;

On policies to support poor households in constructing houses for storm and flood prevention

in the Central Region

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on Housing dated November 29, 2005;

Pursuant to Decree No. 78/2002/NĐ-CP dated October 4, 2002 of the Government on credit for the poor and other policy beneficiaries;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Construction,

The Prime Minister issues this Decision on policies to support poor households in constructing houses for storm and flood prevention in the Central Region.

Article 1. Objectives and principles of policy implementation

Implementing policies to support poor households in constructing houses for storm and flood prevention in the Central Region with the following main contents:

1. Objective: To provide direct support to poor households in areas frequently affected by storms and floods in the Central Region to construct houses for storm and flood prevention, ensuring safe and stable housing, gradually improving living standards, and contributing to sustainable poverty reduction.

2. Principles of implementation:

a) Directly providing support to each household within the specified target group; ensuring democracy, transparency, fairness, and clarity based on laws and state policies; adapting to practical conditions, customs, and traditions of each ethnic group and region; preserving the cultural identity of each ethnic group; aligning with local plans for new rural construction;

b) Mobilizing funds from multiple sources for implementation: budgetary support from the state, preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank, community fundraising, and contributions from households; integrating various funding sources from programs and targets within local socio-economic development plans;

c) Ensuring that after receiving support, households must construct a room for storm and flood prevention or renovate and upgrade their existing houses, ensuring the floor level is higher than the highest flood level at the construction site; the minimum floor area should be 10 square meters;²the main structures such as foundation, frame, floor, and roof should be equivalent to those of solidly constructed houses (houses consisting of: Reinforced concrete foundation, brick/stone; reinforced concrete columns/walls, brick/stone, steel/iron/wood; reinforced concrete/wood floor. For areas frequently hit by typhoons, the roof should be made of reinforced concrete or high-quality materials, ensuring storm resistance);

d) Households supported in constructing houses for storm and flood prevention (including new construction or renovation/upgrading) shall be granted certificates of land use rights, ownership of houses, and other attached assets according to the law on land, and may only transfer these rights after fully repaying all loans (principal and interest) to the Social Policy Bank.

Article 2. Scope of Application

1. Households eligible for support under this Decision must meet the following conditions:

a) Being classified as poor households according to the poverty standard set forth in Decision No. 09/2011/QĐ-TTg dated January 30, 2011, issued by the Prime Minister on the criteria for poor and near-poor households applicable for the period 2011-2015, listed in the poor household registry managed by the People's Commune Council at the time this Decision takes effect, and being independent households that have been separated for at least two years before this Decision takes effect;

b) Not having a solidly constructed house with a usable floor level higher than 1.5 meters above the flood level from the ground; or having a solidly constructed house but without a usable floor level higher than 1.5 meters above the flood level from the ground; or having a house supported by other state, local, and organizational housing assistance programs but without a usable floor level higher than 1.5 meters above the flood level from the ground;

c) Not being eligible for housing support under Decision No. 22/2013/QĐ-TTg dated April 26, 2013, issued by the Prime Minister on supporting war veterans with housing.

2. Scope of Application:

Households receiving support must reside in areas frequently affected by storms and floods in rural areas or in villages, hamlets, villages, communities, wards, communes, or clusters (hereinafter referred to as villages) directly under urban districts, towns, or cities in 14 provinces and cities: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan.

Article 3. Priority Order for Support

Prioritize support for the following groups in the following order:

1. Households of ethnic minority groups.

2. Households with difficult circumstances (elderly, single-person households, disabled...).

3. Households residing in administrative units within difficult areas and particularly difficult communes.

4. Households residing in poor districts as defined in Resolution No. 30a/2008/NQ-CP dated December 27, 2008 of the Government.

5. Remaining households.

Article 4. Level of Support, Loan Amounts, and Loan Methods

1. Level of Support

The State budget (including central and local budgets) provides support of 12 million VND per household; households residing in administrative units within difficult areas as defined in Decision No. 1049/QD-TTg dated June 26, 2014 of the Prime Minister shall receive a State budget support of 14 million VND per household; households residing in particularly difficult communes as defined by the Government shall receive a State budget support of 16 million VND per household to build storm and flood-resistant houses.

2. Loan Amounts and Loan Methods

a) Loan Amount:

Households falling under the target group as defined in this Decision who have a need for loans may borrow up to 15 million VND per household from the Social Policy Bank to build storm and flood-resistant houses. The loan interest rate is 3% per annum; the loan term is 10 years, including a grace period of 5 years. The maximum repayment period is 5 years starting from the sixth year, with a minimum annual repayment amounting to 20% of the total borrowed capital.

b) Loan Method: The Social Policy Bank implements the method of entrusting partial loans through political and social organizations or direct lending.

In addition to the level of support and loan amounts, households participating must contribute and mobilize other sources of funds from the community to ensure the scale and quality of storm and flood-resistant house construction according to regulations.

Article 5. Sources of funds for implementation

1. Central government budget and local government budget support for households according to the levels specified in Clause 1, Article 4 of this Decision at the following ratios:

a) The central government budget supports 100% of the financial needs for localities that cannot balance their budgets independently, including the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan, and Binh Thuan;

b) The central government budget supports 50% of the financial needs for localities with a redistribution ratio of revenue shares to the central government budget below 50%, including Da Nang City and Khanh Hoa Province.

2. The Social Policy Bank implements loans for households falling under the target group for borrowing (including those who have already received loans under other housing support programs in the past) according to the levels specified in Clause 2, Article 4 of this Decision. The source of loan capital is provided by the central government budget at 50% of the total loan capital for the Social Policy Bank, with the remaining 50% raised by the Social Policy Bank. The central government budget compensates for the interest rate difference for the Social Policy Bank according to regulations.

3. Mobilized funds from the "Poverty Alleviation Fund" coordinated by the Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels and member organizations of the Vietnam Fatherland Front from the community and businesses. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry also coordinates to encourage businesses to support the "Poverty Alleviation Fund" and assist in the Program.

4. Contributions from the households themselves are mobilized from the families and clans.

5. Mobilized funds from voluntary contributions to support people affected by natural disasters according to Decree No. 64/2008/NĐ-CP dated May 14, 2008 of the Government on mobilizing, receiving, distributing, and using voluntary contributions to support people affected by natural disasters, fires, serious accidents, and patients with severe diseases (Relief Fund).

6. Funds integrated from other programs and objectives.

7. Depending on specific conditions, provinces and centrally-administered cities may provide additional support from the local budget to improve the quality of storm and flood-resistant houses for households.

Article 6. Management Costs

Provinces and centrally-administered cities use the local budget to allocate management and implementation costs for the Policy (for all levels: province, district, commune) not exceeding a maximum of 0.5% of the total state budget support and Social Policy Bank loan capital to implement the policy as prescribed.

Article 7. Implementation Methods

1. Reviewing and Approving the List of Households to be Supported

a) Villages organize reviews of beneficiaries and prioritize them according to regulations, ensuring democracy, transparency, fairness, and clarity, and submit the list of reviewed households to the People's Committee at the commune level.

b) The People's Committee at the commune level examines and compiles the list of supported households, simultaneously prepares the list of households requiring loans for submission to the People's Committee at the district level for approval. The People's Committee at the district level compiles and reports the list to the People's Committee at the provincial level to serve as the basis for formulating and approving the Project on Supporting Poor Households to Build Houses for Storm and Flood Prevention within their jurisdiction.

2. Capital Allocation for Building Houses for Storm and Flood Prevention

a) Based on the allocated capital from the central budget and local budgets, the People's Committee at the provincial level allocates funds to the district level, and simultaneously sends the loan list to the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies for implementation of lending.

b) Based on the allocation from the People's Committee at the provincial level, the People's Committee at the district level allocates support funds to the commune level.

Management, distribution, payment, and settlement of the support fund shall be carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Finance.

c) For borrowed capital, households must follow the procedures and processes for borrowing as guided by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies.

d) For capital raised from the "Poverty Reduction Fund" and other voluntary contributions within the locality, the Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels will coordinate with the People's Committees at the same level to support households that fall under the beneficiary category.

3. Disbursement

a) For Support Capital from the State Budget

The initial disbursement of 70% of the support capital shall be made according to regulations for households building new houses after completing the foundation, and for households renovating and raising the floors of existing houses after completing 30% of the construction work above flood levels; the remaining 30% shall be disbursed after the completion of the project by the households.

b) For Loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies

Full disbursement of 100% of the loan capital according to regulations shall be made for households building new houses after completing the foundation, and for households renovating and raising the floors of existing houses after completing 30% of the construction work above flood levels.

4. Construction Implementation

The People's Committee at the commune level directs, guides, inspects, and urges households to build houses for storm and flood prevention in compliance with the area and quality requirements stipulated in this Decision, and mobilizes households to self-organize construction. For households in difficult circumstances (elderly, single, disabled...) who cannot construct themselves, the People's Committee at the commune level will direct the Communist Youth Union of the locality to organize construction for these beneficiaries.

Article 8. Timeframe and Progress of Implementation

1. After this Decision takes effect, provinces and centrally-administered cities shall implement the review process, compile lists of poor households to be supported according to regulations, and simultaneously formulate and approve projects supporting poor households to build houses for storm and flood prevention based on the guidance documents of the Ministry of Construction.

2. Implement support for constructing houses for storm and flood prevention for poor households according to this Decision over a period of three years, from 2014 to 2016.

- In 2014: Provide support to approximately 20% of the target group.

- In 2015: Provide support to approximately 40% of the target group.

- In 2016: Provide support to approximately 40% of the target group.

3. Organize a summary, evaluation, and lessons learned from the implementation of the policy no later than three months after the completion of the support.

Article 9. Implementation Organization

1. Regarding central ministries and sectors

a) Ministry of Construction:

- Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries: Planning and Investment, Finance, Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs to guide provinces and centrally-administered cities in formulating projects to support poor households to build houses for storm and flood prevention.

- Strengthen the Steering Committee for implementing the policy of supporting poor households with housing, and take on the responsibility of directing the implementation of the policy of supporting poor households to build houses for storm and flood prevention in the Central Region.

- Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, related ministries, and invite the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to inspect, urge, and monitor the implementation of the policy in accordance with the objectives and requirements; compile and report the results of implementation to the Prime Minister every six months.

- Prepare the budget estimate for the activities of the Steering Committee for implementing the policy of supporting poor households to build houses for storm and flood prevention in the Central Region for both the program and annually send it to the Ministry of Finance to supplement the regular operating expenses of the Ministry of Construction. Allocate funds for the work of directing, guiding, inspecting, urging, summarizing, and evaluating the implementation of the Policy from the supplementary operating budget of the Steering Committee.

b) Ministry of Planning and Investment:

Based on the approved support projects by the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities, take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction to compile plans, balance, and allocate central government budget funds to support localities and provide capital and interest rate subsidies to the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies in the annual budget.

c) Ministry of Finance:

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Construction to balance and allocate central government budget funds to support households in the beneficiary category and provide timely capital and interest rate subsidies to the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies as prescribed.

- Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to balance and supplement the budget for the activities of the Steering Committee for implementing the policy of supporting poor households to build houses for storm and flood prevention in the Central Region into the regular expenditure budget of the Ministry of Construction according to the annual cost estimate.

- Guide localities in the preparation of budget estimates, management, distribution, payment, and settlement of support funds.

d) The Ethnic Minority Committee shall guide localities in identifying particularly difficult communes; coordinate with relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to inspect the implementation of policies for ethnic minority groups.

d) The State Bank of Vietnam oversees, urges, and guides the implementation of lending by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies.

e) The Social Policy Bank shall implement the construction of credit plans and capital mobilization plans to submit for approval by competent authorities in accordance with regulations; carry out lending, debt recovery, and risk loan management in accordance with current regulations; provide specific guidance on loan application documents and procedures in compliance with regulations to ensure simplicity, clarity, and ease of implementation.

2. For People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities in the Central Region

a) Shall directly and comprehensively be responsible for establishing, approving the Project Proposal, and organizing the implementation of policies to support poor households in building houses to prevent typhoons and floods within their jurisdiction, ensuring compliance with the deadlines set forth in Article 8 of this Decision;

b) Publicly announce the criteria, target groups, and direct the review process to establish lists of poor households eligible for support within their jurisdiction; prioritize support for different categories according to regulations. Direct the establishment and approval of lists of poor households eligible for loans in accordance with this Decision;

c) Submit the approved Project Proposal for supporting poor households in building houses to prevent typhoons and floods to the Ministry of Construction, the principal agency, simultaneously sending it to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, and the Social Policy Bank within three months from the date this Decision takes effect to allocate funds and coordinate supervision, inspection, consolidation, and reporting to the Prime Minister;

d) Direct the preparation of budget estimates, management, allocation, payment, and settlement of support funds in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Finance;

đ) Ensure sufficient funding for support as stipulated in Article 5 and administrative expenses for implementing policies as specified in Article 6 of this Decision. Direct relevant agencies, local government levels, and organizations and associations within their jurisdiction to mobilize community support and assistance for poor households in building houses to prevent typhoons and floods;

In addition to the funds specified in Article 5 of this Decision, provinces and centrally governed cities may provide additional funding from local budgets to improve the quality of houses to prevent typhoons and floods for households based on actual conditions;

e) Regularly inspect and supervise the implementation to ensure that the policy reaches each poor household; prevent any loss or corruption; ensure that poor households have houses to prevent typhoons and floods after receiving support in accordance with this Decision; take measures to prevent unauthorized transfer of such houses;

g) Provide monthly brief reports and quarterly periodic reports on the results of implementation to the Ministry of Construction for consolidation and reporting to the Prime Minister;

h) Direct the preparation of funding plans for policy implementation (including all sources of funding), report progress and results of disbursement annually to the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, and the Social Policy Bank as a basis for consolidating support funding and loan plans;

3. For the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union

a) Direct levels of the Youth Union to promote and disseminate policies; participate in mobilizing organizations, businesses, and communities to support poor households in building houses to prevent typhoons and floods through financial contributions, building materials, or labor;

b) Direct levels of the Youth Union to participate in constructing houses to prevent typhoons and floods for poor households; coordinate with district-level People's Committees to organize the construction of such houses for vulnerable groups (elderly, single-person households, disabled individuals, etc.);

4. The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee continues to promote the "Day for the Poor" campaign, coordinating with the Government and local authorities at all levels, member organizations of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and actively mobilizing additional resources to support poor households in building houses to prevent typhoons and floods; while performing supervisory functions to ensure the implementation of support policies aligns with objectives and requirements;

Coordinate with the Ministry of Construction and related ministries and sectors in allocating funds raised by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, its member organizations, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (including monetary funds or in-kind contributions such as houses to prevent typhoons and floods, building materials, etc.) to ensure reasonable and equitable distribution among localities;

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry actively mobilizes businesses to support, assist, and help poor households build houses to prevent typhoons and floods;

Article 10. Effective Date

This Decision takes effect from October 15, 2014;

Terminate the support provided under Decision No. 716/QĐ-TTg dated June 14, 2012 of the Prime Minister regarding the pilot implementation of measures to support poor households in improving safe living conditions and responding to floods in the North Central Coast and Central Coast regions from the date this Decision takes effect;

Article 11. Responsibility for Implementation

Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of agencies under the Government, Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and the Secretariat of the Communist Youth Central Committee of Vietnam are responsible for enforcing this Decision./.