Phu Tho is a mountainous midland province in the north of Vietnam, with 34 ethnic groups and a population of 1.4 million. In the resistance wars against foreign invaders and international missions, tens of thousands of people from the Province fought and laid down their lives for the cause of national liberation, unification and Homeland protection. As a result, there are a large number of people (over 265,000) with meritorious services to the revolution and under the preferential treatment policy within the Province. Meanwhile, the Province’s area is huge, and its traffic system is in poor condition. In addition, the contingent of cadres in charge of policy work is inadequate with different qualifications. Therefore, these have greatly affected the provincial armed forces’ implementation of policies for the Army and Army rear.
In order to effectively execute this important task, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command have always directed the agencies and units to regularly grasp and propagate our Party and State’s views and policies for people with meritorious services. The focuses have been placed on the Ordinance on people with meritorious services to the revolution, Directive 14-CT/TW by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat on continuing to strengthen the Party’s leadership on the work for the people with meritorious services to the revolution, Directive 368-CT/QUTW by the Central Military Commission’s Standing Committee on enhancing the leadership and direction on policy work for the Army and Army rear in the 2016-2020 period, circulars and instructions of Ministry of National Defence, and documents of Military Region 2’s Command and Political Department. At the same time, due regard has been paid to actively advising the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People’s Council and Provincial People’s Committee to issue documents, directives and plans on policy work for the Army rear; cooperating with local agencies, units, mass organizations and authorities in promoting the work of propagation and dissemination so as to help provincial armed forces’ cadres and soldiers and people of all strata raise their awareness and well perform the work of Army rear, war invalids, martyrs and the movement of “Paying debts of gratitude”, considering it not only a responsibility, but also a moral standard and gratitude for the great sacrifice of our previous generations.
 |
| Sr. Col. Dinh Quoc Hung encouraging new recruits on February 20th 2019 |
The Provincial Military Party Committee and Command have guided the agencies and units to establish Steering Committees at all levels and Policy Councils at commune level in order to conduct the policy work in accordance with regulations, ensuring consistency and efficiency. As for the policies for people with meritorious services, all-level party committees and commanders have always thoroughly grasped the Party and State’s views and policies, opportunely issued resolutions, formulated programs and plans, and determined objectives and measures close to the characteristics and tasks of each unit and practicalities of each locality. The Provincial Military Command has given advice to the Chairman of Provincial People’s Committee on forming a Steering Committee for the settlement of entitlements and policies for people with meritorious services according to the Prime Minister’s decision (Steering Committee 24), and a Steering Committee on searching, gathering and identifying martyrs’ remains (Steering Committee 515). Simultaneously, a decision has been made to set up a Body Wound Inspection Committee, which is undertaken by the Army, as a basis for exercising entitlements and policies for people with meritorious services. On a yearly basis, the Provincial Military Command has directed the district-level Military Commands of districts to closely cooperate with local party committees, authorities and mass organizations in developing a plan for synchronous implementation, ensuring democracy, publicity, transparency, opportunity and adequacy and compliance with the Party and State’s policies for policy subjects. Importance has been attached to bringing into full play the power of mass organizations in participating in the movements “remembering the source when drinking water” and “Paying debts of gratitude” in the locality.
With regard to the work of searching, gathering and identifying martyrs’ remains, the Provincial Military Command has well carried out the Project on searching and gathering martyrs’ remains, drawn up a detailed plan, stringently abided by the Government’s regulations, and prevented the search for martyrs’ remains from superstitious methods. Attention has been paid to searching and gathering martyrs’ remains in line with regulations and local customs, which has gained the people’s support. The work of Army rear and activities of “paying debts of gratitude” have been carried out in accordance with the Decision No. 15/2009/QĐ-TTg by Prime Minister on the settlement of military-specific allowance entitlement and Decision 1183/QĐ-BQP by the Ministry of National Defence on hazardous and dangerous job allowance for those on the list of beneficiaries. Furthermore, significance has been attached to regularly visiting, encouraging and giving gifts to the people under the preferential treatment policy on the occasions of New Year and national holidays; providing financial support for 11 Vietnam Heroic Mothers for their whole life with 1,000,000VND/person/month. The provincial armed forces’ units have well done the work of advising local party committees and authorities to visit and give gifts to the families of soldiers working in the border, sea, island areas, etc. These results have proved that the provincial armed forces together with organs at all levels and in all sectors have been supporting policy families to ease their pain and overcome difficulties, creating favourable conditions for them to continue promoting the traditions of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, locality, and families.
Currently, the defence and military tasks of provincial armed forces have witnessed constant new developments. Specifically, many issues of entitlements and policies for the Army rear have not kept pace with the actual situation. In order to better implement the policies for the Army and Army rear within the Province, the provincial armed forces concentrate on a number of following points.
1. Regularly grasping the views and policies of our Party and State, the country’s tradition of “Remembering the source when drinking water”. All-level party committees and commanders continue promoting the work of propagating, educating, raising awareness and responsibilities of personnel at all levels and in all sectors and forces, especially leaders, commanders and contingent of cadres and staff directly in charge of the policy work for people with meritorious services. It is also essential to promote the effectiveness of propagation associated with implementation in accordance with the reality of each unit and locality. At the same time, it is important to introduce entitlements and policies to cadres, soldiers, people and those under the preferential treatment policy so that they could clearly understand the Party and State’s guidelines and policies, especially newly issued ones. This will create consensus among people of all strata and heighten the responsibility of party committees, local authorities, military units, and the participation of political and social organizations in the implementation of Army rear policies.
2. Value should be attached to continuing well operating entitlements and policies for soldiers, national defence workers and officials, and people with meritorious services; ensuring democracy, publicity, transparency and fairness; supporting the families in difficulty. Moreover, consideration should be given to strictly and fully executing existing entitlements and policies for the forces, especially salary and allowance entitlements, and entitlement and policies according to Prime Minister’s Decree No. 21/2009/ NĐ-CP and Decree 116/2010/NĐ-CP; enhancing the work of managing, improving the quality of medical examination, treatment, and health care for soldiers and retired military cadres; actively implementing the entitlements of health-nursing, convalescence, health insurance in compliance with the Law on Health Insurance, and the ones of housing policy for families of soldiers, national defence workers and officials in active service. Priority should be given to supporting people with meritorious services, people with low incomes, and people with special difficulties in accommodation; achieving the target of building 2-3 Houses of Gratitude and Houses of Comradeship for people under the preferential treatment policy and soldiers in active service living in particular difficulties on a yearly basis.
It is also crucial to regularly provide entitlements and policies for people with meritorious services in accord with the provisions of the Ordinance on people with meritorious services to the revolution and Prime Minister’s Directive 02/CT-TTg, dated January 25th, 2016; cooperate with local functional agencies, party committees, and authorities in checking and solving post-war issues; and intensifying the inspection, supervision and rectification of implementing entitlements and policies for people with meritorious services.
3. It is necessary to step up the Project on searching and gathering the remains of martyrs until 2020 and beyond, provide information on martyrs, and draw experience; strengthen the information collection for the purpose of decoding units’ number and symbols; reply to letters and applications, warmly welcome soldiers’ relatives to come and look up information about martyrs. In the meantime, consideration would be given to closely cooperating with local party committees and authorities in promoting the strength of synergy, mobilizing resources to enhance the movements “Paying debts of gratitude” and “Remembering the source when drinking”, contributing to improving policy families’ quality of life; opportunely proposing solutions to overcoming shortcomings and limitations in the policy work for the Army and Army rear. Greater importance should be attached to consolidating policy agencies in conformity with reality, raising the advisory ability of cadres in charge of policy work, and applying information technology to conducting policy work.
The implementation of policies for the Army and Army rear is a regular task with deep humanity meaning, a traditional beauty and a culture of Vietnam. Thereby, it will contribute to building a firm posture of “people’s hearts and minds” and a strong defensive area, making the provincial armed forces gradually stronger and capable of fulfilling all assigned tasks.
Sr. Col. Dinh Quoc Hung, Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command