Illustrative image (Photo:VNA) Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh asked ministries and branches to quadruple central budget allocations to disadvantaged border, island and coastal communes for the building of new-style rural areas in 2016.
Speaking at a meeting of the Steering Committee for the National Target Programme on building new-style rural areas in Hanoi on October 27, the official said adjustments to the programme’s criteria needed to be characterised as compulsory and flexible.
He required relevant ministries and branches to issue documents guiding the implementation of the criteria.
The Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, and Agriculture and Development were tasked with reviewing resources for the programme.
Localities were not allowed to mobilise public financial contributions during the process, and those involved in building new-style rural areas would receive financial assistance to their incomes, Vinh said.
The Deputy PM told ministries to study how many new-style communes in mountainous provinces needed.
He said the country aimed to recognise half of communes nationwide as new-style rural areas within the next six years.
The national target programme on new-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics and defence, aiming to boost the development of rural regions.
The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection and the promotion of cultural values.
As many as 185 communes achieved all 19 criteria, and nearly 600 others met between 15 and 18 criteria. On average, each commune fulfilled 8.47 criteria compared with 4.7 in 2011.-VNA
