Circular No. 56/2003/TT-BNN on guiding the implementation of projects under the poverty reduction and employment program as directed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

CIRCULAR

Regarding guidance on implementing projects under the poverty reduction and employment program directed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

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After reaching consensus with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development provides guidance on implementing projects assigned by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 143/2001/QĐ-TTg dated September 27, 2001, approving the national target program for poverty reduction and employment from 2001 to 2005 as follows:

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. Scope of project implementation:

- Infrastructure construction projects in poor communes; production support and industry development projects in poor communes; resettlement and new economic zone establishment projects in poor communes; stable farming and settlement projects in poor communes shall only be implemented in poor communes outside Program 135 according to the list approved by the competent authority.

- Projects guiding poor people in business practices, agricultural extension, forestry extension, and fishery extension shall be implemented in both communes within Program 135 and poor communes outside Program 135.

2. Project scale: On the same administrative area (province, district, commune, or inter-commune), localities may establish comprehensive projects of the program or independent projects corresponding to the list of projects in Decision No. 143/2001/QĐ-TTg of the Prime Minister.

3. Project formulation, review, and approval process: Provincial People's Committees shall base their decisions on current regulations in the following documents: Decree No. 52/1999/NĐ-CP dated July 8, 1999, Decree No. 12/2000/NĐ-CP dated May 5, 2000, and Decree No. 07/2003/NĐ-CP dated January 30, 2003, of the Government on investment management and construction regulations, Circular Joint No. 666/2001/TTLT-BKH-UBDTMN-TC-XD dated August 23, 2001, of the Ministry of Planning and Investment - National Ethnic Minorities Commission - Finance - Construction on managing investment and construction of infrastructure works under Program 135. After approving the projects, the provincial People's Committees shall submit consolidated reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for compilation, planning, and implementation guidance.

4. Sources of funding and management mechanisms:

4.1. The sources of funding for these projects include:

- State budget funds (central and local budgets).

- Contributions from households and communities.

- Funding from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals (if available).

- Credit funds.

4.2. Specific management, allocation, and settlement mechanisms for each source of funding for the projects shall be carried out in accordance with the State Budget Law, related legal documents, other government regulations, and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Finance.

II. SPECIFIC CONTENTS

1. Regarding project formulation: Specific projects shall be developed based on the following main contents:

1.1. Content of the stable farming and settlement project in poor communes:

a. Objective: To stabilize production and improve living standards for ethnic minority households in areas designated for stable farming and settlement; address the lack of arable land or insufficient land for cultivation, stop slash-and-burn agriculture; limit spontaneous migration.

b. Target group: Households of ethnic minorities in villages and communes designated for stable farming and settlement according to criteria set forth in Decision No. 140/1999/QĐ-BNN-ĐCĐC dated October 14, 1999, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

c. Investment content:

- Support for creating agricultural land funds for households (including land reclamation, construction of paddy fields, terraced fields, and fixed production gardens).

- Support for crop and livestock seeds, advanced technologies.

- Support for essential materials (fertilizers, plant protection chemicals, veterinary medicines).

- Support for the activities of agricultural and forestry extension workers.

- Support for household and small group models of agricultural and forest product processing and rural industries.

- Support for social expenses for households that need to relocate due to current population resettlement policies.

- Support for essential infrastructure construction projects according to planning: small-scale irrigation works, rural roads, schools, health clinics, drinking water, electricity for production and daily life in the project area.

1.2. Content of the essential infrastructure construction project in poor communes:

a. Objective: To develop essential infrastructure in poor communes, striving to complete essential infrastructure projects by 2005, creating conditions for poor people to access services supporting production and basic social services; contributing to improving material and spiritual living standards.

b. Target group: Poor communes lacking essential infrastructure as defined in Decision No. 587/2002/QĐ-LĐTBXH dated May 22, 2002, of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

c. Investment content: The state budget will support the construction of infrastructure projects still lacking among the seven categories specified in Decision No. 143/2001/QĐ-TTg dated September 27, 2001, of the Prime Minister, including:

- Small-scale irrigation works.

- Schools or classrooms (including kindergartens).

- Health clinics.

- Rural roads.

- Electricity for residential and production use in the project area.

- Drinking water.

- Rural markets.

1.3. Content of the project to stabilize migrants and establish new economies in poor communes:

a. Objectives:

- Effective exploitation and utilization of undeveloped land resources combined with labor redistribution, creating jobs in rural areas, and implementing poverty reduction.

- Arranging and stabilizing the lives and production of households in difficult areas to limit spontaneous migration, continuing to support those who have already migrated spontaneously, gradually increasing planned migration according to national plans.

b. Groups needing stabilization and arrangement:

- Households lacking arable land (based on the average at the locality) should be relocated to new economic zones or other areas where they can sustainably stabilize production and living conditions.

- Households that have spontaneously migrated to places not in accordance with planning must be relocated and rearranged.

- Households scattered and not in accordance with planning need to be rearranged to facilitate production, living conditions, and construction of infrastructure.

- Households that must move due to the impact of natural disasters such as landslides along riverbanks, seashores, flash floods, etc.

c. Investment content:

- Support for land reclamation and construction of paddy fields.

- Support for seedlings, livestock breeds, and advanced techniques in production.

- Support for grassroots agricultural extension activities.

- Support for models of processing agricultural and forestry products and household-scale industries.

- Support for funding public services for households required to relocate according to current policies.

- Investment support for essential infrastructure: small irrigation works, rural roads, schools, health clinics, drinking water supply, rural markets, electricity for production and daily life in project areas.

1.4. The content of the project guides poor people on how to engage in business, promotes agriculture, forestry, and fisheries:

a. Objective: Equip knowledge for impoverished households so they can arrange production, apply advanced techniques in production and business to increase crop and livestock productivity, income, while protecting the ecological environment, enabling the poor to rise out of poverty.

b. Target group: Households classified as impoverished under Decision No. 1143/2000/QĐ-LĐTBXH dated November 1, 2000, issued by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, having labor force and farmland in particularly difficult communes and poor communes outside Program 135.

c. Investment content:

- Support for seeds and main materials to build demonstration models on crop cultivation and animal husbandry for impoverished households.

- Organize training sessions to guide impoverished people on how to engage in business and disseminate new advanced techniques.

- Support for information dissemination and propaganda through specialized newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and booklets about guiding impoverished people on how to engage in business, promote agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.

- Support for cadres to guide impoverished people on how to engage in business, promote agriculture, forestry, and fisheries at the grassroots level.

- Inspect and evaluate demonstration models, organize preliminary and final summary meetings to expand them widely.

1.5. Content of the project supporting production and development of industries in poor communes:

a. Objectives:

- Help impoverished people apply advanced techniques in preservation and processing of agricultural and forestry products to enhance product value, increase income gradually to escape poverty. Support for restoring and developing traditional and new industries to meet market demands, create jobs, and increase income.

- Strive for workers from impoverished households supported by the project to have an income of 150,000 to 200,000 VND per person per month.

b. Target group: Households classified as impoverished and those encouraged to settle down permanently in poor communes outside Program 135 according to lists decided by competent authorities.

c. Investment content:

- Support for materials, equipment, and machinery, transfer of technology to build models on preservation and processing of agricultural and forestry products, salt-making industry, and non-agricultural industries.

- Organize training sessions to guide techniques in preservation and processing of agricultural and forestry products, salt-making industry, and operation and maintenance of equipment and machinery.

- Support for vocational training in traditional handicrafts.

- Support for propaganda work on mass media, specialized magazines, pamphlets, and booklets about techniques in preservation and processing of agricultural and forestry products and development of non-agricultural industries.

- Organize specialized conferences, preliminary and final summary meetings to showcase exemplary cases.

- Inspect and evaluate results; hire cadres to direct.

2. Regarding the establishment, consolidation, and allocation of plans:

- The process of establishing, consolidating, and allocating annual plans for projects and programs is carried out simultaneously with the general planning process for economic and social development at local and national levels.

Each year, following guidance on plan preparation from higher-level authorities, People's Committees at all levels prepare investment plans and budget estimates for each project and program of poverty reduction and job creation in their locality to submit to higher-level authorities according to current regulations; Provincial People's Committees and municipalities directly under the Central Government consolidate and report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant ministries for consolidation and allocation of state investment funds to be submitted to the Government.

- Allocation of plans: Based on the total budget estimate and the objectives and tasks of the National Poverty Reduction Program assigned by the Prime Minister, the Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government proactively integrate and allocate funding for each project, and send the plan allocation documents to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant ministries.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Directorate of Settling and New Economic Zones is responsible for leading and coordinating with related departments and units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement:

1.1. Guidance to localities on building and implementing projects.

1.2. Guidance to localities on building and consolidating project plans (five-year and annual).

1.3. Annually, it is responsible for building, consolidating, and allocating plans for project implementation in the locality, coordinating with relevant agencies of the Ministries (Planning and Investment, Finance, Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs) to unify the content of the plan before reporting to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for submission to the Prime Minister for approval.

1.4. Urging, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of projects nationwide, compiling reports for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to report to the Government and the Program Steering Committee quarterly, annually, mid-term, and at the end of the program.

2. Localities:

2.1. Based on the actual situation regarding poverty reduction and job creation in the locality, propose to the provincial People's Committee (municipalities directly under the Central Government) to direct the preparation, review, and approval of projects, determine the responsibilities of specialized agencies and project managers at the provincial level to effectively implement approved projects.

2.2. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (or the specialized agency responsible for this work at the provincial level) assists the provincial People's Committee, municipality to act as the focal point to carry out the following tasks:

a. Building and consolidating the program and project plans.

b. Proposing the allocation of the program and project plans for districts, communes, and sectors to be approved by the provincial People's Committee, municipality.

c. Guide the implementation of the plan in accordance with the objectives, target groups, and contents of the projects, and report on the results of implementation periodically.

During the process of implementing the projects, if there are any difficulties, localities are requested to reflect them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (address: Directorate of Settled Land and New Economic Zones, Building B9, No. 2 Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh, Hanoi. Telephone: 04-8438688, 04-8438617) for consolidation and resolution.