At a Hanoi ceremony, the official said theprogramme, initiated by the Government in 2010 to boost rural regions ofVietnam, has become a strong movement with the participation ofall-level authorities and people.
It has helped cutthe household poverty rate down by 2 percent annually and increasedincome of rural residents twice compared to the first year of theprogamme implementation. Up to 889 or about 10 percent of the totalcommunes and five districts have been recognised as new-style ruralareas.
Those outcomes were reached partly thanks tobusinesses and entrepreneurs’ contributions, which were their fundingfor road, school and hospital building as well as promotion ofagricultural production and job creation, Ninh said.
He noted an array of challenges to increasing the rate of new-stylerural communes to 20 percent by the end of this year as targeted.Localities will be unable to tap into their agricultural potential andimprove local material and spiritual life unless concrete actions aremade.
He asked ministries, sectors and localities toseriously review the implementation of the programme and proposemeasures to attract business investment in agriculture and rural areas.
The official also expressed his hope for morepractical contributions by companies and entrepreneurs to ruraldevelopment and the national industrialisation and modernisation.
Also at the ceremony, the Prime Minister’s certificates of merit werepresented to 65 companies and 31 entrepreneurs to honour their effortsto carry out the rural development programme.
Thenational target programme sets 19 criteria for new rural areas coveringinfrastructure, production, living standards, income and culture, amongothers. A district must have at least 75 percent of its communes meetingall the 19 criteria in order to receive the title of new-style ruraldistrict.-VNA