Joint Circular No. 984/2006/TTLT/UBDT-VHTT-GDĐT-BCVT guiding the implementation of Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg dated July 20, 2006 of the Prime Minister

 

JOINT CIRCULAR

JOINT DECISION OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF ETHNIC MINORITIES, MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS MINISTRY GUIDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION 975/QĐ-TTg, JULY 20, 2006 OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg dated July 20, 2006 of the Prime Minister on the issuance of certain types of newspapers and magazines for ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions, and particularly difficult areas.
The Joint Ministries: National Committee of Ethnic Minorities, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Education and Training, Post and Telecommunications Ministry guide the implementation of issuing certain types of newspapers and magazines for ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions, and particularly difficult areas as follows:

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. The scope and subjects implementing this Circular are the agencies and units specified in Article 2 and Article 3 of Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg dated July 20, 2006 of the Prime Minister.

2. Principles for publishing, distributing, and using newspapers and magazines issued free of charge (without payment) for ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions, and particularly difficult areas:

- The contents of the newspapers and magazines published must be appropriate for each subject specified in Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg;

- The newspapers and magazines must be distributed to the correct recipients at the correct addresses and within the prescribed time frame;

- Units and individuals receiving newspapers and magazines must organize effective management and use of the publications and regularly provide feedback to help the units involved complete their assigned tasks successfully.

3. Utilization and management of the budget for publishing and distributing newspapers and magazines shall comply with the Law on State Budget and financial management guidelines issued by the Ministry of Finance.

II. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

1. Number of issues published annually for each type of newspaper, magazine, and special issue:

1.1. Special issue "Young Sprouts" of Children's Newspaper:

Published 24 issues/year (2 issues/month)

1.2. Special issue "Youth of Ethnic Minorities" of Pioneer Youth Newspaper:

Published 24 issues/year (2 issues/month)

1.3. Photo bulletin "Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas" (Vietnam News Agency):

Published 12 issues/year (1 issue/month)

1.4. Special issue "Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas" (Vietnam News Agency):

Published 12 issues/year (1 issue/month).

1.5. Special issue "Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas" of 8 newspapers:

Agriculture of Vietnam, VAC Economy (Rural Economy Newspaper), Science and Life, Health and Life, Great Unity, Commerce, Youth Magazine, and special issue "Poverty Reduction" (Labor and Society Newspaper):

Published 24 issues/year (2 issues/month).

1.6. Rural Today Newspaper:

Published 260 issues/year (5 issues/week).

1.7. Ethnic Minorities and Development Newspaper (National Committee of Ethnic Minorities), Culture Newspaper (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism):

Published 104 issues/year (2 issues/week).

1.8. Border Guard Newspaper (weekly): Published 52 issues/year (1 issue/week); Security Border Newspaper (monthly) of Border Guard Newspaper: Published 12 issues/year (1 issue/month).

1.9. Ethnic Minority Magazine (National Committee of Ethnic Minorities), Ethnic Minority Cultural Magazine of Vietnam Literature and Art Association:

Published 12 issues/year (1 issue/month).

The number of copies of newspapers, magazines, and special issues published in each period is calculated based on the actual number of copies distributed to beneficiaries and the number of copies submitted for archival purposes as stipulated.

2. Recipients of newspapers and magazines and the quantity provided:

(See attached annex)

3. Provisions on distribution and management, use of newspapers and magazines issued free of charge (without payment) for ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions, and particularly difficult areas:

3.1. Distribution:

a. Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (with a decision assigning to functional units) is responsible for distributing the types of newspapers, magazines, and special issues issued free of charge (without payment) for ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions, and particularly difficult areas according to Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg to the beneficiaries.

b. The publications must be delivered promptly to the correct addresses and correct recipients and ensure the delivery of the correct quantity and type of newspapers and magazines provided, while obtaining signatures from the participating distribution units.

3.2. Management and use of press publications:

a. Publications provided to village communities, Village Farmers' Association, and Village People's Committee:

The village head is responsible for managing and disseminating the content of the provided publications to the ethnic minorities in the village through suitable forms such as reading during community meetings; broadcasting over village loudspeakers (where available) and creating the best conditions for the ethnic minorities and association members to read.

The publications need to be stored and managed at the Village Cultural House or Community Activity House. If there is none, they should be stored at the village head's house. The People's Committee of the commune directs and promulgates specific regulations regarding the responsibility for managing, exploiting, and using the publications provided to the village communities effectively.

b. Publications provided to communes:

Commune officials who receive the publications have the responsibility to read, grasp information, and disseminate it to the commune residents through various forms and means suitable to the local characteristics and conditions, such as broadcasting on community radio programs or reading during community meetings, aiming to exploit and use them effectively.

For communes with cultural houses, reading rooms, or communal postal and cultural centers, libraries, etc., the publications must be centrally stored. The People's Committee of the commune promulgates management regulations to facilitate access for commune officials and ethnic minorities to read newspapers.

The People's Committee of the commune has the responsibility to regularly organize inspections, supervision, and timely correction of the management and use of the publications provided to village communities, and evaluate the quality, content, form, and effectiveness of each publication, reflect the readers' wishes, and report to the People's Committee of the district.

c. Publications provided to districts and provinces:

Individuals and units receiving the newspapers have the responsibility to manage and use them to grasp information to serve advisory work; direct and disseminate to implement the Party and State's policies effectively in the locality, and also serve as a basis for monitoring and evaluating the quality, content, and form of the publications.

d. Publications provided to schools:

- Publications allocated to schools and classes may be brought back to the classrooms or centralized at the school library. The school has the responsibility to issue specific regulations on managing, utilizing, and using them effectively so that all students can read and view them. In addition to students reading independently, publications should also be disseminated during class meetings, League and Team activities so that many students can listen.

- Publications allocated to the School's League Committee for boarding schools shall be managed by the School's League Committee and used as materials in League activities.

- During summer break, these publications need to be stored and preserved centrally at the school library.

e. Publications allocated to Border Guard Posts, Border Guard Teams, and Team 123 (Ministry of National Defense):

These publications must be centrally managed at the library or reading room (for Border Guard Posts) and Border Guard Teams so that all officers and soldiers can read and view them to facilitate information reception and enhance mobilization work among the masses.

f. Publications allocated to Village Farmers' Associations, Village League Committees, and Ethnic Minority Boarding Schools:

They should be centrally managed within the respective organizations and used as materials for propaganda and dissemination during concentrated meetings. These organizations have the responsibility to issue specific regulations on managing, utilizing, and using them effectively.

4. Regulations on managing and using funds for publishing and distributing certain types of newspapers and magazines provided free of charge to ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions, and particularly difficult areas:

Implemented according to Article 4 of Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg dated July 20, 2006, issued by the Prime Minister.

III. RESPONSIBILITIES AND MECHANISMS FOR COOPERATION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DECISION 975/QĐ-TTG BY INVOLVED AUTHORITIES, UNITS, AND LOCALITIES:

1. Ethnic Minority Committee:

1.1. As the leading agency, it coordinates with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, relevant ministries and sectors to develop plans and policies for developing press work serving ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

1.2. Leads and coordinates with relevant ministries and sectors and provincial People's Committees receiving newspapers and magazines to organize inspection teams to review, inspect, evaluate the quality and effectiveness of publication, distribution, management, and use of publications to ensure timely progress, correct addresses, and target audiences.

Annually, based on reviews and evaluations of the quality and service effectiveness of each newspaper and magazine, and the information needs of the ethnic communities, report to the Prime Minister and propose adjustments and supplements to the types of newspapers and magazines, target groups, and service scopes to meet actual requirements and the Party and State's propaganda work in ethnic minority and mountainous regions. Newspapers and magazines with good quality and content should be encouraged to develop; those with poor quality and content, if they do not have plans for reform in content and form, their contracts should be terminated.

1.3. Leads and coordinates with relevant ministries and sectors and localities to unify the provision of lists and addresses of beneficiaries, and provide these lists and addresses to the distribution units.

1.4. Annually, organizes training sessions for reporters, editors, and contributors on ethnic policy propaganda work, cultural practices, and customs of ethnic minorities; holds quarterly editorial meetings with media outlets serving ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

1.5. Annually, leads the signing of orders for newspapers and magazines and distribution units to transfer funds directly from the Ministry of Finance to ensure sufficient quantities, correct targets, and correct addresses for timely delivery of newspapers and magazines to the target groups; implements acceptance, settlement of contracts, and checks and finalizes the publication and distribution budget of newspapers and magazines of agencies and units, consolidating into the final settlement of the Ethnic Council according to current regulations.

1.6. Regularly every year and five years, leads and coordinates with relevant ministries and sectors, media outlets, and localities to develop plans for publishing and distributing newspapers and magazines, and organizes mid-term and final summary meetings to assess results and effectiveness of the policy of providing free newspapers and magazines to ethnic minority and mountainous regions, compiling comprehensive reports and recommendations for the Prime Minister to adjust and supplement appropriately.

2. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism:

2.1. Leads and coordinates with the Ethnic Council and related units to unify the content and format of publications provided free of charge to ethnic minority and mountainous regions, ensuring general requirements: convenient layout, beautiful presentation, clear images, printed on white paper; content of news articles and images closely reflect reality, concise, easy to understand, non-repetitive, not abbreviated, accurate and appropriate to the characteristics and level of cadres and people in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

2.2. Issues permits, monitors, and supervises the activities of newspapers and magazines, and specifies the objectives and purposes for each type of newspaper and magazine.

2.3. Coordinates with the Ethnic Council and relevant ministries and sectors to develop plans and policies for developing press work serving ethnic minority and mountainous regions; guides, inspects, and evaluates the content, form, quality, and effectiveness of propaganda of newspapers and magazines provided free of charge to ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

2.4. Regularly every six months and annually compiles reports evaluating the quality of news articles, content, form, and effectiveness of propaganda of press publications and compliance with press activity regulations by editorial offices and sends them to the Ethnic Council for consolidation and submission to the Prime Minister.

3. Ministry of Finance:

3.1. Leads and coordinates with relevant ministries and sectors to determine the costs of publishing and distributing newspapers and magazines and distribution units; guides and supervises the use and management of funds for providing newspapers and magazines to ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

3.2. Annually allocates funds from the central government budget to implement the provision of newspapers and magazines to the target groups approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg dated July 20, 2006.

4. Ministry of Education and Training:

4.1. Chair and coordinate with relevant Ministries and sectors to unify the list and addresses of middle schools, primary schools, and boarding schools for ethnic minorities in mountainous areas, remote regions, border areas, and islands, and submit them to the Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs for the issuance of newspapers to the beneficiaries.

4.2. Annually, on a regular basis at the beginning of each new academic year, direct the Departments of Education and Training in provinces with ethnic minority and mountainous areas to review the increase or decrease in the number of middle schools, primary schools, and boarding schools for ethnic minorities in mountainous and border areas, and submit the results to the Committee for Ethnic Minorities (before September 10) to adjust and supplement the issuance of newspapers and magazines appropriately, ensuring the correct target audience, sufficient quantity, and timely progress.

5. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications:

5.1. Direct and inspect the functional units' compliance with state regulations regarding the quality of newspaper distribution services as stipulated in Article 2 of Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg.

5.2. Coordinate with relevant Ministries and sectors to develop plans and policies for the distribution of press materials serving ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

5.3. Regularly report every six months and annually to the Government through the Committee for Ethnic Minorities on the work of distributing newspapers and magazines provided free of charge to ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

6. Management agencies of newspapers and magazines:

6.1. Direct functional units to urge, inspect, and supervise press agencies under their management to fulfill assigned tasks, comply strictly with the purposes and objectives stated in the press operation licenses issued by the Ministry of Culture and Information, and ensure information requirements for ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

6.2. Coordinate with the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, the Ministry of Culture and Information, and other relevant Ministries and sectors to effectively implement policies for providing certain types of newspapers and magazines free of charge to ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

7. Press agencies and distribution units:

7.1. Press agencies:

a. Strictly implement Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg dated July 20, 2006, of the Prime Minister and related guiding documents from relevant Ministries and sectors.

b. Comply strictly with the purposes and objectives stated in the press operation licenses issued by the Ministry of Culture and Information for each newspaper and magazine.

c. Annually, regularly once every quarter, self-inspect and evaluate the effectiveness of publicity through readers' opinions, thereby adjusting content and form to improve the quality and effectiveness of publicity to suit the characteristics and educational levels of each region and ethnic group.

d. Regularly according to publication periods, newspapers and magazines must submit copies for archival purposes as required, while also sending copies to relevant Ministries and sectors for monitoring, inspection, and management. For the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, additional electronic files containing the full content of each issue should be sent via email (to [email protected]) to be posted on the Committee's website (http://www.cem.gov.vn), thereby creating an additional channel for information dissemination and propaganda to cadres, people, and organizations in ethnic minority and mountainous regions, and promoting understanding, feedback, and exchange among various audiences about press publications provided free of charge by the Party and State to ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

e. Regularly every quarter, half-year, and annually, compile reports on the implementation of publishing work, evaluating the content, form, and quality of articles, along with difficulties, issues, and recommendations sent to the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, the Ministry of Culture and Information, and relevant Ministries for joint resolution to enhance the quality and effectiveness of propaganda to better meet the information needs of ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

f. When newspapers and magazines need to increase pages or combine issues (on occasions such as the founding anniversary of the industry or holidays), they must submit a formal letter requesting approval from the management agency of the newspaper or magazine, the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, and the Ministry of Finance before proceeding.

7.2. Distribution units:

a. Receive and organize the timely distribution of newspapers and magazines to the recipients specified in Article 2 of Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg dated July 20, 2006, of the Prime Minister.

b. Coordinate with relevant Ministries and sectors, localities, and direct, inspect, and supervise local distribution units to promptly distribute newspapers and magazines to the correct addresses and intended recipients.

c. Regularly every quarter, half-year, and annually, report on the implementation of newspaper distribution work, including suggestions and recommendations to improve the quality of distribution services to better meet the information needs of ethnic minority and mountainous regions, and send these reports to the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and relevant Ministries for consideration and resolution.

d. Propose to competent state authorities the postage rates for the distribution of newspapers and magazines according to Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg.

7.3. Annually, newspapers and magazines and distribution units sign responsibility contracts with the Committee for Ethnic Minorities; organize publication and transfer the quantities of newspapers and magazines to distribution units for distribution to the intended recipients.

After the completion of the 12-month contract period, newspapers, magazines, and distribution units are responsible for preparing complete documentation and related procedures to cooperate with functional units in auditing and settling accounts and terminating the contract in accordance with current regulations.

8. Provincial People's Committees:

8.1. Direct provincial Departments, Committees, district People's Committees, and related units to implement policies for providing newspapers and magazines free of charge to ethnic minority and mountainous regions within their jurisdiction.

8.2. Assign the provincial government agency responsible for ethnic affairs (referred to as the Ethnic Minority Committee) as the permanent body:

- Chair and coordinate with relevant provincial Departments, Committees, and district People's Committees to assist the provincial People's Committee in effectively implementing Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg;

- Regularly annually, develop plans, organize inspections, supervision, and evaluations of the content and form of newspapers and magazines, as well as the management, utilization, and application of these publications.

- Review and compile a list and address of beneficiaries of the policy within the province to be signed by the Provincial People's Committee and submitted to the National Ethnic Minorities Committee as the basis for adjusting and supplementing the distribution of newspapers.

8.3. Every six months and annually, compile a report on the results and difficulties encountered in implementing Decision No. 975/QĐ-TTg and the information needs of ethnic minority groups and various strata of people in mountainous and ethnic minority regions, and submit it to the National Ethnic Minorities Committee for consolidation and submission to the Prime Minister for adjustment, amendment, and supplementation as necessary.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION

1. This Circular takes effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette. Previous documents that conflict with this Circular are hereby abolished.

2. In the course of implementation, if there are any difficulties or shortcomings, please reflect them to the Joint Ministry for timely guidance, amendment, and supplementation as appropriate.