Hanoi (VNA) – Prime MinisterNguyen Xuan Phuc has described the outcomes of the new-style rural areabuilding in Hanoi as “comprehensive, impressive” while addressing a conferencereviewing the 10-year efforts by the capital city on September 21.

The national target programme on buildingnew-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria ondifferent aspects, aiming to boost the development of rural regions in Vietnam.

According to Chairman of the municipal People’sCommittee Nguyen Duc Chung, six outlying districts have met all the criteriaand earned the new-style rural area recognition, namely Dan Phuong, Dong Anh,Thanh Tri, Hoai Duc, Gia Lam and Quoc Oai.

As many as 325, or 84.2 percent of the city’stotal 386 communes, have gained the status, surpassing the target of 80 percentset for the end of 2020. Notably, Dan Phuong, Song Phuong and Lien Trungcommunes of Dan Phuong district have satisfied the advanced criteria fornew-style countryside.

Over the last 10 years, municipal authoritieshave successfully involved thousands of collectives, individuals, businessesand households in contributing to the building of new-style rural areas withmore than 14.74 trillion VND (633.7 million USD) raised. In particular, anumber of local residents have made donations worth over 7.2 trillion VND intotal to the programme, Chung said.

However, he also admitted certain shortcomings,noting that Hanoi hasn’t succeeded in attracting more investment intoagricultural production, especially hi-tech farming and connectivity underproduction chains. There remains a gap in the outcomes of building new-stylecountryside among districts, while funding for the programme in the city isstill mainly sourced from the State budget.

At the conference, PM Phuc applauded efforts byHanoi, where the new-style rural area building programme is carried out on thelargest scale among all localities with 17 outlying districts that consist of386 communes covering over 2,230 sq.km. and having a population of 4.1 million.

Requirements for new-style rural areas are veryhigh, in terms of both quantity and quality, he noted, stressing that theultimate goal of the programme is to improve the material and spiritual livesof people.

Living standards of rural residents in the cityhave been improved considerably and higher than the national average, theGovernment leader commented.

The PM said Hanoi’s rural areas should take thelead in applying the achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Hecalled on the city to develop satellite urban areas more strongly and associatenew-style rural area building with urban development.

Additionally, local rural areas need to preservethe traditional culture of the millennium-old capital city, PM Phuc said.

He requested Hanoi to pay special heed toenvironmental protection while building new-style countryside, noting that itshould use new technologies in waste and wastewater treatment, resolutely sayno to plastic bags and disposable plastic products, ensure the qualified reuseof agricultural waste, and form green belts around the capital’s central zone.

PM Phuc emphasised the importance of thenew-style rural area building programme, describing it has “the stature of along-term strategic revolution.”

He pointed out that this is the field the Party and State payspecial attention to create solid prerequisites for national industrialisationand modernisation.

As part of the conference, a fair was opened thesame day to introduce agricultural products, handicrafts and other goods underthe One Commune – One Product programme of Hanoi.

The fair, featuring 170 booths, is a chance topopularize outstanding products of the city’s agriculture. It is also aplatform for local businesses, associations and production facilities to stepup partnerships in production, processing and sale of farm produce.

On this occasion, the municipal People’sCommittee opened an exhibition on Hanoi’s achievements in building new-stylerural areas.

The fair and exhibition at the CulturalFriendship Palace will run through September 22./.