|
Social
News 19/8
Early
floods damage hundreds of paddy hectares in delta
The early floods in
the Mekong Delta this year have damaged around 220 hectares of paddy of the
summer-autumn crop in Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap Province, leaving losses
of an estimated VND2 billion.
Swelling river
water levels are threatening more farmland, including 10 hectares of
vegetables in the upstream district of Tan Hong in the province.
Water levels in Tan
Chau and Chau Doc districts in An Giang Province are 0.6-0.9 meter higher
than the average of previous years.
According to the
centers for hydro-meteorological forecasting of the upstream provinces of the
In the Plain of
Reeds and Long Xuyen Quadrangle, the current water level is 0.7-1 meter
higher than the flooding season of last year. The sluices of Tha Lan and Tra
Su dams in An Giang Province have been opened one month earlier than previous
years to ease flooding.
Duong Van Ni at the
Department of Environment and Natural Resource Management at Can Tho
University said the flooding season usually starts in the delta in August.
Scientists have
suggested that farmers in the upstream region should finish their
summer-autumn crop before floods come and build dikes to protect their crops.
However, scientists
also said flooding also helps clean up and enrich farms after winter-spring
and summer-autumn crops. But in reality, many farmers still set up solid dikes
to prevent floods from flowing into their fields to grow their third paddy
crop and this increases the water speed of flooding and threatens daily lives
and agricultural production in the region.
Rules on
compulsory military service may be changed
The NA Standing
Committee has just discussed making changes to the draft law on compulsory
military service.
Many deputies
proposed mandatory military service for young men of a period of 18 months,
instead of the current 18 to 24 months, depending on the position. However,
because of the proposal's timing, if approved, the state would have to choose
mainly from university students for positions requiring specific expertise.
Minister of Defense
Phung Quang Thanh has spoken up against the proposal, saying that municipal
authorities agreed to the 24 month period. A shorter period would not give
enough time for training, especially now that more modern weapons are being
used.
Thanh said,
"Our research shows that the length of service in most countries is two
or three years. The least is 21 months."
Minister Phung
Quang Thanh said a large number of people used loopholes to avoid military
service. In order to address this problem, the draft makes it clear that high
school and full-time university students can postpone their duties, but must
enlist in the military once they graduate. Students attending in-service or
distance training programs are not allowed this exemption and would have to
enlist immediately and postpone their education.
However, NA Vice
Chairman of the Financial and Budgetary Committee Dinh Van Nha expressed
worries about the budget. He said, "Many full-time university students
borrow money for tuition from the state budget. If they have to serve in the
military service right after graduation, they may not be able to repay their
debt. I think we should prolong the payment period or forgive the debts
completely."
Minister Phung
Quang Thanh also said it would be ideal if every qualified young man could be
enlisted, but they would face financial troubles. "If one takes into
account even the cost of guns, bullets and all the training, our budget can't
cover everything," he said.
He went on to say
that, since 90% of the enlisted young men are from farming families, the
number of students enlisted would inevitably be changed along with the
quality of military personnel as a whole.
Speed
monitoring faces obstacles
Switches have been
installed in many vehicles to deactivate black boxes that are supposed to
detect when they exceed the speed limit, according to the Directorate for
Roads of Viet Nam.
The directorate
asked transport departments across the country to tighten inspections and
punish drivers, transport firms and black box providers if their equipment
failed to transmit data to the directorate or contained a switch that
automatically turned off the black boxes in cases of speeding.
Under the Transport
Ministry's Circular 55, which took effect last April, transport businesses
face one- to three-month suspensions if they fail to provide required
information extracted from black boxes. This includes speed as well as
driving and stopping time.
This month, the
directorate launched a pilot digital map of vehicle speed based on signals
from vehicles running on National Highway 5. By the end of last month, the system
had received data from 69,200 vehicles, about 60 per cent of the total number
reported operating.
However, this
percentage dropped to less than 50 per cent in Ca Mau, Binh Phuoc, Khanh Hoa
and Dong Nai in the south, Bac Ninh, Ha Noi and Thai Binh in the north and
Nghe An, Quang Nam and Ba Ria- Vung Tau in the centre.
Directorate head
Nguyen Van Huyen said that there was no regulation empowering traffic police
to use data extracted from black boxes to fine drivers for speeding.
He recommended that
starting next year, drivers be fined if exceeding the speed limit by 35km/h.
As of 2016, those exceeding the limit by 20 km/h would be fined.
Chairman of Ha Noi
Transport Firms' Association Bui Danh Lien said that drivers, transport
firms, black box providers and management agencies must co-operate to improve
the quality of black boxes. When the black boxes failed to function, that
should be blamed on the producers, rather than drivers or transport
companies, he said.
High-tech
applications crucial for agriculture
Problems associated
with transfer of high-tech applications need to be solved to help promote the
growth of the HCM City High-Tech Agricultural Park (HHAP), heard a seminar
held in
"Policies
which attract agricultural and rural investors, especially in high-tech
agriculture cultivation, must be completed, along with adjustment of policies
of agricultural production co-operation," said Nguyen Hai An, director
of the Park's Incubation Centre.
Dr. Nguyen Tan Binh
and Dr. Huynh Thanh Dien, lecturers of Van Hien University, pointed out that
transferring high-tech application faces hindrances, including the inability
of farmers to use new technology, limited capital, and small land plots
unsuited for high-tech applications.
"Enterprises
are participating in high-tech agricultural research but they are not
directly taking part in real production," Binh said.
To solve the
problem, he suggested that public-private partnerships be established in
high-tech agricultural research and development.
"Local
authorities should promote research trends and develop agriculture as well as
invite enterprises to take part from the very beginning. The work should not
be done only by research institutes and universities," Dien said.
He also emphasises
the important role of farmers in transferring new plantation technology and
asked that they be trained often.
From now to 2020,
the HHAP will include four regions, with the first the current location of
88ha in Pham Van Coi commune, Cu Chi District, which is focused on
plantations.
Another 200ha will
specialise in fresh pet-fish research, and 90ha will be allotted for marine
research in Can Gio. The fourth will be in Binh Chanh District and will
specialise in animal-feed research.
The park, which was
set up in 2004, has gained achievements but it has been limited because of
haphazard investment and a poor support system that could attract
enterprises. In addition, products have not been very popular with customers.
There are 29
high-tech agriculture parks in the country.
VN to host
Southeast Asian talent management conference for 1st time
An annual Southeast
Asian conference on the latest perspectives on effective leadership will be
held in
Organised by talent
management solutions provider Profiles International South East Asia, the 2nd
annual International Talent Assessment and Development Conference (ITADC)
will take place on September 11-12 at the
Fourteen
international experts in training and developing people from the
ITADC 2014 is
expected to attract 150 attendees.
SAV to
focus on IT infrastructure
The State Audit of
Viet Nam (SAV) would focus on developing information technology (IT)
infrastructure and boosting IT applications during the next three years,
heard a conference on the sector's development on Thursday.
Addressing the
event, SAV deputy audit general Doan Xuan Tien said that improving IT
applications was one of eight key strategic priorities to develop the sector
by 2017.
The other measures
relate to improving the legal framework and impact of SAV, increasing the
number and skills of its auditors, improving capacity in applying
international practices and developing audit plans.
An official from
the SAV's Centre for Information Technology, Pham Thi Thu Ha, said that the
SAV would upgrade its integrated auditing database centre to approach a
centralised information system within the next two years.
By 2017, all
auditing offices nationwide would have their information technology facilities
upgraded and connected with the database centre.
She said that the
SAV was developing a network security system together with programmes to
collect and analyse data for mapping audit plans.
SAV was also
developing a software programme to manage audit plans, processing, results
and the implementations of SAV's recommendations to Governments and audited
organisations, she said.
"Funding and
human resources are two major difficulties in strengthening the applications
of information technologies in the audit sector," she said.
According to the
World Bank specialist, the SAV was an integral part of
Comprehensive
external audits by the SAV would be crucial to helping the government with
implementing public financial management reforms and the National Assembly in
performing its oversight function, said Christopher Fabling, World Bank
senior financial management specialist.
The draft Common
Results Framework, developed to assist the SAV's Development Strategy, should
provide the basis for the SAV and its development partners.
One of its
foundation projects is the completion of revised IT Plan to 2020, overseen by
the Information Technology Centre.
As many as 1,527
new classrooms will be put into use in
The information was
released by Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Education and
Training Le Hoai
Of that amount, 620
classrooms are designed for primary schools, 461 for high schools, and 30
others for special education, he said.
Up to 90 of 108 new
schools to be inaugurated are nurseries as part of an effort to ease pressure
on preschool education in the city, he added.
The southern
economic hub is set to have a total of 2,124 schools in the 2014-2015 school
year with more than 1.5 million students.
Vietnamese
in
The Vietnam mission
to the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and international
organisations in Geneva, Switzerland met with the Vietnamese community ahead
of the 69 th anniversary of August Revolution (August 19) and the National
Day (September 2).
Ambassador and head
of the mission Nguyen Trung Thanh informed them that
On this occasion,
the community in
Outstanding
youths honoured for following President Ho’s example
The most outstanding
young people in the campaign of studying and following President Ho Chi
Minh’s moral example were honoured at a ceremony in
The ceremony is
part of a three-day congress that brought together 200 delegates representing
more than 25 million young Vietnamese in the country and abroad who have
responded actively to the campaign initiated by the Party Politburo three
years ago.
Addressing the
ceremony, Nguyen Dac Vinh, First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth
Union’s Central Committee and also Chairman of the Vietnam Youth Union, said
the campaign has reached every youth union cell and youth union member,
bringing about profound changes in young people’s political awareness.
Le Hong Anh,
Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s
Secretariat, hailed the youth union organisations for their creative approach
in popularizing the campaign.
He stressed the
youth unions’ role in educating young people on morality, lifestyle and
ideals, particularly the country’s fine traditions, patriotism, national
pride and voluntary and pioneering spirit.
The congress, held
in
Labour
confederation chief presents gifts to Quang Ngai fishermen
During a working
visit to the central province of Quang Ngai on August 16, President of the
Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Dang Ngoc Tung offered 155
million VND (7,300 USD) to two fishermen whose fishing vessels were chased
and seriously damaged by a Chinese ship two days ago.
On the occasion,
trade union of the PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Services Corporation
presented 800 national flags to An Vinh and An Hai fishing trade unions.
The Vietnam Trade
Union Tourism company handed over each 100 million VND (4,700 USD) to Quang
Ngai fishing trade union and Ly Son district chapter of the VGCL.
Meanwhile, the
VGCL’s Labour Protection Institute granted 30 million VND (1,400 USD) to An
Vinh fishing trade union.
While in Quang
Ngai, VGCL President Tung also attended a groundbreaking ceremony for new
VGCL branch office in Ly Son.
Adopted by the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1998, the set of standards groups
the freedom of association and collective bargaining, the abolition of all
forms of coercive, forced and child labour, and discrimination at work.
Deputy Director
General of the Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Labour,
Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Mai Duc Thien acknowledged that some
standard labour practices are made into the law, but several others remain
under consideration, citing the freedom of establishing associations as an
example.
It is due to the
fact that
To meet
international standards, Vietnamese firms should come up with better
workforce training schemes, she suggested.
Nguyen Trong Nghia,
a representative from the Vietnam United Sweethearts garment company in the
southern
HIV/AIDS
control work faces budget shortage
The biggest problem
for the prevention and fight against HIV/AIDS is budget shortage, said Vice
Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs Dang Thuan
Phong.
Addressing a recent
workshop in Hai Phong on HIV/AIDS control policies, the law maker said
foreign aid for the work has been reducing as
Meanwhile, the
country continues to aim higher in this field, targeting providing ARV
treatment for 100,000 HIV carriers from the current 48,000, and Methadone
therapy for 80,000 drug users by the end of next year compared to the current
16,000.
Kristan Shoultz,
UNAIDS Vietnam Country Director, suggested that
She said the UNAIDS’s
initiative on a strategic investment case for HIV aims to work out effective
tools in allocating and optimising all resources for HIV/AIDS control
activities.
Participants at the
workshop were also introduced to the national investment strategy on HIV/AIDS
control in the 2015-2020 period.
Kon Tum
ethnic students learn native languages
Ethnic primary
students of Bah Nar and Jrai across the Central Highlands
Earlier, the
initiative was done on an experimental basis in some areas.
Beyond that, the
Vietnamese language education will target more ethnic pre-school kids and
students.
The pilot model of
boarding schools will continue and spread across the province.
The provincial
education sector, meanwhile, will keep up its job to produce a contingent of
qualified teachers and education managers, partly by renewing mechanisms
involved.
In the 2013-2014
school year, Kon Tum earmarked 183 million VND (8,700 USD) as rewards for 136
high school students who did well on their university entrance exam.
During this period,
819 students took Bah Nar language course at 10 schools while 255 students
learnt Jrai language in five schools in Kon Tum city, and the districts of Sa
Thay and Kon Ray.-
Deputy PM
requests Ho Chi Minh highway acceleration
Deputy Prime
Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Transport and the Ho Chi
Minh Highway Project Management Board to make a concerted effort to complete
the project’s phase 2 on schedule.
At the 15 th
founding celebration of the Ho Chi Minh Highway Project Management Board in
Hanoi on August 16, the Deputy PM said the road has contributed to reducing
poverty, especially in ethnic minority-inhabited and remote areas where it
goes through.
Lam Van Hoang, head
of the management board said his unit will do its best to accomplish the road
two years before the deadline of 2020 if its proposal of using the project’s
saved expenses is accepted.
Ho Chi Minh highway
is the largest-ever project in
The management
board is making every effort to put the remaining part into use before 2020,
Hoang stated.
According to Hoang,
the project’s third phase after 2020 will focus on upgrading several routes
of the road to high-speed ones in line with the approved plan.
Leaders of military
regions and localities in
The Cambodian
officials made the commitment during working sessions with the Vietnamese
government’s special committee for this work, during which the committee
presented the Cambodian military regions and localities with financial
assistance to help with the search in their areas.
On August 15,
Vietnamese Defence Attaché to
The special
committee on the search and repatriation of Vietnamese soldiers’ remains said
nearly 5,000 sets of remains of Vietnamese soldiers are still in
Ca Mau:
forest land zoned for organic rice cultivation
The southernmost
Director of the
provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Van Su said the
plan has been carried out right from the 2014 – 2015 crop with 2,500ha of
rice cultivated on part of the forest.
The area is
expected to increase over the next years and reach 10,000ha by 2017 and
20,000ha by 2020.
In recent years, Ca
Mau has piloted the cultivation of rice on part of the U Minh Ha forest,
which originally harbours cajuput trees, and harvested encouraging results.
Rice grown without
chemical fertilizers in the forest generated nearly 4.7 tonnes per hectare
while the province’s average only approximates 4 tonnes per hectare.
Scientists said
such productivity is thanks to U Minh Ha’s favourable conditions such as
naturally fertile soil and fresh water all year round.
Su said the current
productivity of 500,000 tonnes of rice per year is only sufficient to feed
the province’s population of 1.2 million.
With organic rice
fields in the forest, Ca Mau expects to raise its rice output and export
100,000 tonnes of this produce every year from 2020, he added.
Ba Ria-Vung
Tau launches vaccination campaign against measles
More than 261,000
children under 14 in the southern
The first phase of
the large-scale campaign will be implemented from mid-September to the end of
October, targeting children in the age group of 1-5.
The second will be
carried out from November to December for primary school students, while the
last from January to February 15, 2015 for the remaining.
The local health
sector targets all children to become immune from the disease and priority
will be given to poor communes and those having low rate of vaccination.
According to the
provincial Preventive Medicine Centre, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has recorded nearly 30
measles cases, with no fatalities so far this year.
Efforts
made to prevent new avian flu strain A/H5N6
The Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has issued an emergency dispatch
asking cities and provinces nationwide to deploy measures to prevent the new
avian flu virus A/H5N6.
Localities were
requested to focus on controlling illegal cross-border poultry smuggling to
avoid the spreading of A/H5N6 and other bird flu strains in
The ministry also
urged for strict quarantine and inspection of poultry as well as close
control of poultry transport and trading in each locality.
Along with raising
public awareness of the deadly strain, the MARD advised farmers to report to
local authorities immediately in case of any abnormal sickness or death of
their poultry.
All fowls tested
positive for the virus must be destroyed following guidelines of veterinary
agencies.
Recently, the
deadly viral strain A/H5N6 has been detected in a flock of chicken in
northern Lang Son province bordering
Genetic sequencing
of samples showed that the virus is 99 percent similar to the deadly A/H5N6
strain reported in
The flocks were
destroyed immediately, while the infection areas were disinfected. So far, no
additional infection has been reported in these localities.
According to the
World Health Organisation, A/H5N6 is a highly pathogenic strain but there is
no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission despite occasional
instances of apparent inflection between family members.
A consultation
workshop on biomass power investment guidelines for
The workshop was
part of the Renewable Energy Support Programme (RESP), which has been carried
out in
Werner Kossmann,
RESP technical advisor said the project’s goal is to make it easier and less
risky for investors to invest in the biomass energy sector in
Earlier, the Prime
Minister issued Decision 24/2014/ND-CP, specifying support mechanisms to
develop biomass power projects in
Accordingly,
biomass power projects can enjoy preferential treatments in terms of
investment capital, investment credit, export credit and import tax exemption
for materials and other goods that make fixed assets for the projects.
The decision is
expected to step up public and private investment in the field.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
|
Thứ Ba, 19 tháng 8, 2014
Đăng ký:
Đăng Nhận xét (Atom)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét