Soc Trang prioritizes caring for the lives of ethnic minorities, aiming for sustainable development

TPO - In recent years, Soc Trang has effectively implemented a series of programs and policies for ethnic minorities, contributing to improving their lives and narrowing the development gap between regions. The reporter had an interview with Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province about the results and orientations for caring for ethnic minorities in the coming time.

PV - Sir, can you give a general assessment of the current life of ethnic minorities in the province?

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi: Currently, Soc Trang province has 27 ethnic minorities, with a total of over 424,900 people, accounting for 35.4% of the province's population. Of which, the Khmer people account for more than 30.2%, the Chinese people account for 5.2%, and the rest are other ethnic groups. The ethnic minorities live together, in solidarity with the Kinh people, trust the leadership of the Party, and comply well with the policies and laws of the State.

Thanks to the investment attention of the Central Government and the drastic direction of the province, many socio -economic development programs and projects have been effectively implemented in ethnic minority areas. Along with that, social security policies, poverty reduction, health care support, education, upgrading rural infrastructure, transportation, electricity, water, etc. have also been implemented synchronously. Thanks to that, the rural appearance of ethnic minority areas is increasingly changing, economic life is significantly improved. By the end of 2024, the poverty rate among ethnic minorities in Soc Trang province will decrease to 1.7%, and the near-poor rate will be 5.9%.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi - Vice Chairman of Soc Trang Provincial People's Committee.

PV - Sir, to achieve the above results, what specific programs and policies has Soc Trang province implemented?

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi: In recent times, the Party Committees and authorities of Soc Trang province have focused on leading and directing the effective implementation of the Party and State's policies and guidelines for ethnic minority areas. In particular, the province has focused on restructuring agriculture, supporting people to develop production through national target programs such as sustainable poverty reduction and socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas.

In the period of 2021-2024, the total capital allocated for the National Target Program for the development of ethnic minority areas in the province is about 918 billion VND, implementing a series of projects such as: supporting residential land, housing, job conversion, domestic water, building roads, community centers, schools, market systems, vocational training, improving staff capacity... Thanks to that, up to now, 100% of communes in ethnic minority areas have hardened car roads to the center; about 80% of hamlets and villages have car roads; the whole province has a system of schools and medical facilities that meet the needs of the people.

PV - During the implementation process, what are the main advantages and difficulties, sir?

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi: The achieved results are an important basis for Soc Trang province to successfully implement the goals in the Resolution of the 14th Provincial Party Congress and the socio-economic development plans for the period 2021 - 2025. Ethnic minorities increasingly trust the leadership of the Party and State; the great national unity bloc is consolidated, contributing to maintaining political security and social order.

However, there are still some difficulties and limitations: The economic development speed of ethnic minority areas is still slow, infrastructure is not yet synchronous, poverty reduction is not really sustainable, the gap between rich and poor tends to increase; the political security situation and social order and safety in ethnic minority areas still sometimes contain complex factors.

The quality of party organizations’ activities in ethnic minority areas is still limited; propaganda and mobilization work is not really effective, especially in the context of hostile forces taking advantage of ethnic and religious issues to incite and divide. The team of cadres working on ethnic affairs at the grassroots level also changes frequently, affecting the effectiveness of policy implementation.

Soc Trang cares for the lives of ethnic minorities.

PV - To promote results and overcome difficulties, what solutions has Soc Trang province proposed in the coming time?

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi: The province will continue to promote propaganda, raise awareness, and strengthen the trust of ethnic minorities in the Party and the State; promote the spirit of national solidarity, fight against false and distorted arguments. At the same time, link sustainable development of ethnic minority areas with poverty reduction, improve the quality of life, narrow regional gaps, promote comprehensive development of education, health care, culture, preserve national identity, improve people's knowledge and train human resources, especially ethnic minority cadres.

The province also focuses on building a team of prestigious people, discovering and replicating advanced models and examples in many fields to contribute to socio-economic development, maintaining national defense and security, and building a strong grassroots political system.

PV - Thank you very much!

Nhat Huy

Source: https://tienphong.vn/soc-trang-uu-tien-cham-lo-doi-song-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-huong-den-phat-trien-ben-vung-post1753730.tpo