About 31.4 trillion VND (1.38 billion USD) was used in building new-style rural areas in 2017. (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – About 31.4 trillion VND (1.38billion USD) was used in building new-style rural areas in 2017, heard aconference held by the Central Coordination Office on New Rural Development onJanuary 8.
As a result, 2,884 communes or 32.3 percent of communes nationwide wererecognised as new-style rural areas, surpassing the target of at least 31percent.
Of the total, 326 communes have met the new national criteria on new ruralcommunes during 2016-2020.
Besides, 43 district-level units in 24 centrally-run cities and provinces havebeen certified as new rural areas, up 13 districts compared with the end of2016 and exceeding the target of 38.
The General Statistics Office revealed that as of the end of 2016, 99.4percent of communes nationwide have auto-accessible roads to commune centres.All communes and 97.8 percent of villages are connected with the national powergrid. Meanwhile, 99.7 percent of communes have pre and elementary schools and99.5 percent of communes have medical centres.
Some 3,854 production models have been connected with each other by valuechains. There are 11,183 agricultural cooperatives, with each earning anaverage of 1.1 billion VND (48,400 USD) annually.
Notably, localities have set forth roadmaps to deal with debts ininfrastructure construction.
However, the outcomes of the new-style rural area building remain unequalbetween regions across the country, with 1,101 certified communes in the RedRiver Delta and only 119 in the Central Highlands.
The national target programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated bythe Vietnamese Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economicdevelopment, politics, and defence, aiming to develop ruralregions.
The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, theimprovement of production capacity, environmental protection and the promotionof cultural values.
In 2015, the set of criteria was increased to 20.-VNA
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