Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged the prompt design of a2016-2020 new-style rural area building programme to be added intodocuments of Party congresses at all levels.

Addressing a video conference on the 2014 programme outcomes andorientations for the next five years, the PM asked ministries to reviewdevelopment policies for agriculture, farmers, and rural areas to maketimely adjustments.

Policies enhancing theapplication of science and technology to agricultural production needgreater attention, he said, describing the policies as a criticalcomponent for the renovation of the sector.

Additionally, it is necessary to focus on increasing measures toencourage and support enterprises investing in agriculture whilestrengthening the coordination between farmers and businesses, hecontinued.

The Government leader also requestedbetter vocational training policies for rural labourers, together withimproved preferential credit access for farmers, especially those inmountainous and remote areas.

The PM suggested thatministries and localities seek out financial resources for the programmeand integrate the building of new-style rural areas into socio-economicdevelopment plans in each locality.

He also askedlocalities to review and adjust the specific criteria of new-style ruralareas to ensure relevancy in each locality.

Lastyear, as many as 785 communes nationwide, or 8.8 percent, fulfilled all19 criteria of the programme; 1,285 communes reached between 15 and 18of the criteria. The nation’s communes have satisfied an average of 10criteria, double the 2010 average.

In 2015, another1,800 other communes, or 20 percent of total communes nationwide, areexpected to become new-style rural areas.

Buildinginfrastructure, improving production capacity, constructing publicworks, protecting landscapes and the environment, and promoting localtraditions and cultural identities are among the criteria of new-stylerural areas under the programme initiated by the Government in 2010.-VNA