Dak Nong needs more NRAC investment

Many communes in Dak Nong Province find it difficult to implement the traffic target for new rural area construction due to a lack of funding

Duc Minh Commune in Dak Mil District, Dak Nong Province, one of eight communes in the province chosen to pilot the NRAC program, achieved 16 of 19 NRAC criteria by mid-June. The remaining criteria will not be easy to implement. For example, the program requires that every village has a cultural community house, but only Bon Jun Juh out of the existing 16 villages in the commune has such a facility; the medical criterion requires that every commune has about 70 percent of population participating in health insurance, but the commune has failed to reach that figure; and the traffic criterion requires that every commune has all rural roads concreted, but the commune currently has just 3.7km of all 12km of rural road concreted.

According to Duc Minh Commune People’s Committee Chairman Bui Dinh Hien, the province was committed to a VND21 billion funding for Duc Minh’s infrastructure construction, but the funding has so far failed to reach the commune. The commune has raised local resources into upgrading local roads, along with central financial support, and expects to achieve the traffic target by the end of 2015. However, the education and environmental criteria are unlikely to be reached this year.

As of the end of May, Nhan Dao Commune in Dak R’lap District had achieved 16 of 19 NRAC criteria. It is now striving to complete three remaining criteria on traffic, the environment and education.

According to the Dak Nong NRAC Coordination Office, the province’s total NRAC capital for 2015 is more than VND1.2 trillion, including VND44 billion as central funding and nearly VND800 billion from integrated programs and projects. However, the province just allocated VND41 billion as funding for national target programs as of the end of May. What should be noted was that eight key NRAC communes were not eligible for the allocation. The office proposed a VND20 billion funding for eight key NRAC communes early this year, which has so far failed to be realized.

According to Vice Chairman of the Dak Nong Province People’s Committee Nguyen Bon, the province strives to have two NRAC criteria-meeting communes by the end of 2015 including Duc Minh in Dak Mil District and Tam Thang in Chu Jut District. The former will be invested for VND7.5 billion to fulfill three remaining NRAC criteria on traffic, culture and health, while the latter for VND11 billion to fulfill remaining criteria on traffic, irrigation, education, infrastructure, rural market, health and environment. Six remaining communes including Nhan Dao, Nhan Co and Dao Nghia in Dak R’lap District, Nam Dong in Chu Jut District, Nam Da in Krong No District and Nam N’Jang in Dak Song District are scheduled to fulfill all NRAC criteria by 2016.

Nguyen Hanh