[Audio] Ensuring social security and environmental protection in development planning

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the provincial Social Protection Center in mid-March..Photo: Thanh Chung

Fit

The Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress for the 2020-2025 term identifies four pillars to create breakthroughs in Hai Duong's development. These are: high-tech industry and supporting industry; high-quality services; green, modern, smart urban areas; high-tech agricultural commodities and organic agriculture. When developing the provincial planning, specialized agencies and consulting units will base on these four pillars to orient the future development of Hai Duong province.

On March 15, 2023, attending the ceremony to announce Hai Duong's completion of the task of building new rural areas, in addition to recognizing and encouraging the achievements of Hai Duong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh especially emphasized that Hai Duong needs to pay attention to households that are unable to escape poverty, those who have lost their ability to work, are single, and have no place to rely on. The province must be determined so that no one is left behind. At the same time, he directed the province to build new rural areas in conjunction with environmental protection, improving the rural landscape by strictly managing the treatment of waste, wastewater, controlling the use of pesticides, inorganic fertilizers, etc.

Immediately after the ceremony to announce Hai Duong’s completion of the new rural construction task ended, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the provincial Social Protection Center. The Prime Minister emphasized that the work of nurturing and caring for the disadvantaged is a social issue that cannot be ignored and Hai Duong must not sacrifice social security to pursue economic growth alone. At a working session with the Standing Committee of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee on the morning of March 16, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the province to study and add the pillars of ensuring social security and environmental protection to the provincial planning.

In response to the Prime Minister's direction and the Provincial Party Committee's conclusion, the Provincial People's Committee has reviewed, completed, and added the tasks of ensuring social security and environmental protection to the provincial planning. The provincial planning dossier was approved by the 22nd Provincial People's Council, 16th session on July 13, 2023. Adding the issues of ensuring social security and environmental protection to the provincial planning is not only a mechanical, simple addition but also a careful consideration and calculation. The recently approved provincial planning dossier has set out specific goals in ensuring social security and environmental protection. Accordingly, by 2030, the poverty rate according to the province's multidimensional poverty standard will maintain a decrease of 1-1.5%/year, and the unemployment rate will fall below 2%. Hai Duong will devote maximum resources to taking care of the disadvantaged, policy families, and meritorious people, ensuring that people enjoy benefits from healthcare, education, etc. Regarding environmental protection, the province strives for a forest coverage rate of 5.2-5.6%. The rate of population using clean water and hygienic water is 100%. 100% of ordinary domestic and industrial solid waste is collected and treated with advanced, environmentally friendly technology. 100% of wastewater from industrial parks, industrial clusters, and hospitals is treated to meet environmental technical standards. Along with specific goals are appropriate organizational plans to ensure effectiveness.

The Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council supervises the topic of waste at the waste treatment plant of Hai Duong Urban Works Management Joint Stock Company.Photo: Nguyen Lan

Create a ripple effect

The provincial planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, demonstrates the strong aspiration of the Eastern region to rise. The planning sets the goal that by 2030, Hai Duong will strive to become a modern industrial province, a dynamic industrial center of the Red River Delta, with a large economic scale in the country. Synchronous socio-economic infrastructure; the urban system develops in a green, smart, modern, and rich-in-identity direction; achieving a number of basic criteria of a centrally-run city. With a vision to 2050, the province will strive to become a civilized, modern centrally-run city rich in the cultural identity of the Eastern region and an important driving force to promote the socio-economic development of the Red River Delta; a modern, green, smart, secure, safe, sustainable, and deeply internationally integrated urban area. Developing high-tech industry and high-quality services to serve production activities in the locality and the whole region; Developing multi-value agricultural economy creates stability for the economy.

Along with economic goals, community values ​​are built from ensuring social security and protecting the environment. Only then, throughout the development journey of the province, will it receive the support and companionship of the people and the development will be truly stable and sustainable. Mr. Nguyen Khac Mau, Party Cell Secretary, Head of Residential Area No. 11, Tan Binh Ward (Hai Duong City) strongly agreed and was pleased when the province added the content of ensuring social security and protecting the environment to the planning. Mr. Mau expressed that this is the concern of the Party Committee and the government for the vulnerable forces in society and the determination to act in the face of the challenges of climate change.

In recent times, Hai Duong has been determined to develop its socio-economy in the direction of green growth. Initial results have been recognized by the business community when the province's provincial green index (PGI) in 2022 ranked 6th in the country. Environmental protection is the key to sustainable development, resolving the inadequacies and conflicts of the industrialization and modernization process. Comrade Hoang Van Thuc, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, affirmed that environmental protection is a cross-cutting solution for the province to develop its socio-economy sustainably according to the plan. To effectively implement, with the assigned functions and tasks, the department will continue to review, research and advise the province to supplement and perfect the system of guidelines and policies on environmental protection, ensuring consistency and consistency with the legal system, closely following reality, keeping up with the development process and international integration. In addition, the department will strengthen and improve the effectiveness of state management of environmental protection, diversify investment capital sources, especially investment in waste and wastewater treatment, pollution treatment and environmental restoration. The strategic environmental assessment report on the implementation of the provincial planning has forecasted trends in environmental issues to propose solutions to maintain positive trends, minimize negative trends, and pay attention to nature conservation and biodiversity.

Adding content on social security and environmental protection to the provincial planning is expected to promote Hai Duong's development goals in the coming time.

PV