Joint Circular No. 912/2001/TTLT/UBDTMN-BTC-BKHĐT guiding the implementation of policies to support households of ethnic minorities in particularly difficult circumstances

CIRCULAR

JOINT CIRCULAR OF THE STATE COMMITTEE FOR MINORITY AFFAIRS AND MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS - MINISTRY OF FINANCE - MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND INVESTMENT NO. 912/2001/TTLT/UBDTMN/BTC/BKHĐT DATED NOVEMBER 16, 2001 GUIDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES TO SUPPORT HOUSEHOLDS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES IN ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT CONDITIONS
AND INVESTMENT CIRCULAR 912/2001/TTLT/UBDTMN/BTC/BKHĐT OF NOVEMBER 16, 2001 GUIDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES
TO SUPPORT HOUSEHOLDS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES WITH SPECIAL DIFFICULTIES
HỖ TRỢ CHO CỘNG ĐỒNG DÂN TỘC THIỂU SỐ CÓ ĐẶC BIỆT KHÓ KHĂN

- Pursuant to Article 2 of Decision No. 138/2000/QĐ-TTg dated November 29, 2000 of the Prime Minister on converting the project to support households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions (as stipulated in Decision No. 133/1998/QĐ-TTg dated July 23, 1998 of the Prime Minister) into a policy to support households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions.

- To implement the opinion of the Prime Minister in Government Document No. 764/CP-NN dated August 22, 2001 regarding the issuance of a Circular Jointly Guiding the Implementation of Policies to Support Households of Ethnic Minorities in Especially Difficult Conditions.

- The State Committee for Minority Affairs and Mountainous Regions, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment guide the implementation of policies to support households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions as follows:

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

- The policy to support households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions aims to stabilize living conditions, develop production, eradicate poverty, improve literacy, preserve and promote the cultural identity of ethnic minorities.

- The selection of households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions must be conducted annually, openly, democratically, and evaluated by the people according to priority order determined based on the level of difficulty faced by each household.

- The funding for implementing the policy to support households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions shall be guaranteed by local budgets with support from the central budget. In 2001 and 2002, due to the period of stabilization of local budgets, the central budget will provide targeted subsidies to local budgets to implement the policy. From 2003 onwards, the funding for implementing the policy will be included in the local budget.

- The preparation of the budget estimate, management, disbursement, and settlement of this funding shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the State Budget Law and current guiding documents.

II. OBJECTS AND SCOPE OF APPLICATION:

1. The objects of households of ethnic minorities entitled to enjoy the policy prescribed in this Circular are those households meeting all three criteria set forth in Decision No. 166/2001/QĐ-UBDTMN dated September 5, 2001 of the Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Minority Affairs and Mountainous Regions on issuing criteria for households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions, specifically:

Criterion 1: Households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions are households of ethnic minorities residing in areas inhabited by ethnic groups, mountainous regions, remote and far-flung areas with average per capita income not exceeding 80,000 VND/month/person (below the poverty standard specified in Document No. 1143/2000/BLĐTBXH dated November 1, 2000 of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs).

Criterion 2: Households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions have production practices that still heavily rely on natural gathering, mainly shifting cultivation, traditional backward livestock farming, primitive production tools, insufficient land or lack thereof (based on the average cultivated land area per household in the locality).

Criterion 3: Average per capita asset value under one million VND (excluding the value of land use rights and the value of huts on the fields). Households with solitary circumstances, lacking labor, or having long-term sick members, without access to information necessary for production and daily life.

The implementation of administrative sanctions according to the Decree shall apply in areas such as security, public order and safety; customs; taxation; trade; environmental protection; protection of aquatic resources; mineral resource protection; quarantine of animals and plants, health care, and other related fields within the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (excluding seaports).

Policy The policy to support households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions applies to households of ethnic minorities residing in communes under the Program for Economic and Social Development of Particularly Difficult Communes, ethnic minority areas, border areas, and remote and far-flung areas (referred to as Program 135) and villages, hamlets, villages, phums, and socs recognized as Zone III within Zones I and II.

III. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

1. Content and Level of Support

- Supporting living expenses for households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions includes: food for consumption, clothing, bedding, household utensils. The maximum support amount for each household is not more than 500,000 VND at once. During the implementation of this policy, the maximum food support for one household is not more than three times; clothing and bedding not more than two times; household utensils once.

- Supporting the development of production includes: purchasing production tools and seedlings. The maximum support amount for each household is not more than 1,000,000 VND/year.

The specific levels of support for living expenses and production development for each type of household shall be decided by the People's Committee of the province. The support amount shall not be averaged.

In addition to the specific support contents prescribed in this Circular, households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions also benefit from other existing policies and programs implemented locally such as investment policies, credit policies, land allocation policies, forest allocation policies, land reclamation for agricultural production, agricultural extension services, forestry extension services; training policies, tuition fee exemptions, medical fee exemptions...

2. Implementation:

- The People's Committee of the province shall direct the guidance on the content of this Circular, the evaluation of households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions, and the inspection of the implementation of the policy and the use of funds for supporting households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions to ensure they are used for their intended purposes, for the correct beneficiaries, and effectively.

- Annually, the People's Committee of the commune shall base on the defined beneficiaries of the policy, disseminate it to each village, hamlet, phum, and soc so that the people can self-evaluate, then compile a list of households to send to the People's Committee of the district for consolidation and submission to the People's Committee of the province for consideration and decision.

- The People's Committee of the province shall approve the list of households to be supported in the year and send it to the People's Committees of the districts and communes for implementation. The People's Committee of the commune shall directly distribute the support to the households and settle the accounts according to the current regulations of the state.

- The People's Committee of the province shall direct the integration of programs and projects in the locality to reduce the number of households of ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions; Regularly quarterly and annually compile the situation of implementing the policy to support ethnic minorities in especially difficult conditions and submit it to the State Committee for Minority Affairs and Mountainous Regions, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

- The Ethnic Minority Department or the organization responsible for ethnic affairs in the province shall take the lead in coordinating with the Department of Finance and Price Control, the Department of Planning and Investment to assist the People's Committee of the province in inspecting and evaluating the implementation of the policy.

- The Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas shall take the lead in coordinating with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and relevant ministries and sectors to organize guidance, inspection, and supervision of the implementation of policies supporting particularly disadvantaged ethnic minority households in localities.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS:

This Circular shall take effect fifteen days after the date of signature. Previous documents that conflict with the guidelines of this Circular shall be abolished. Any difficulties encountered during implementation should be reported to the Joint Board for consideration and resolution.