Chapter 712

Following that, Lu Fan said: 'The reporting hotlines at all levels have already been announced province-wide; please everyone voluntarily act as good supervisors, helping the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government manage Paid Tutoring.'

According to what you say, that means we should all compete together; if we choose to lie flat, then we should all lie flat together!

Moreover, this year's junior three students are adopting the '2-8' streaming system; even if your child's grades are at a medium-low level, they can still smoothly enter high school. The bottom 20% with poor grades will not go to high school, so as not to waste that time; please believe that vocational high schools also have a future—I will personally oversee vocational higher education, with a single goal: solving employment.

"Secretary Lu, we believe in you!"

"Secretary Lu, you are a good leader!"

……

The venue erupted with rounds of applause; for Lu Fan, the grassroots people felt deep gratitude, because everything he did stood from the people's standpoint.

Another parent asked: 'Secretary Lu, starting this semester, are the children's lunches really free?'

Lu Fan replied with a smile: 'This is something I personally decided; you tell me if it's true.'

Applause broke out again in the venue, and Lu Fan spoke loudly: 'Not only should it be free, but we must also ensure the children eat well and nutritiously; the Provincial Department of Education is drafting a unified menu and catering standards. Rest assured, I will personally oversee this menu.'

……

They chatted for a full half hour, with Lu Fan continuously answering parents' questions, drawing countless rounds of applause and cheers.

Lu Fan clearly understood that his words today would become policy, soon to be transmitted to other cities and counties; he deliberately did so, spreading the policy to every parent to ensure its implementation without deviation.

After the investigation, Lu Fan went to He Lun City.

Before getting in the car, he pulled Municipal Party Secretary Guo An and Mayor Dai Junfeng aside, earnestly instructing: 'Project construction and investment promotion are linked to economic development on one end and to people's livelihood security on the other; they are the "locomotive" of Wuda City's economic and social development. Your planning in this area has already dragged the province behind; you must muster effort and catch up!'

I have privately set a task for you two: by year-end, GDP must reach 300 billion yuan, and next year it must reach 323.2 billion yuan!

Having said that, Lu Fan turned and boarded a Coaster.

Watching the departing vehicle, Guo An, with a solemn expression, said to Dai Junfeng: 'This is a political task; we must complete it at any cost! Junfeng, the burden is heavy and the road long—we need to take tough measures, unite our efforts, and work together in solidarity. If we cannot get the economy off the ground, any talk is empty.'

Dai Junfeng replied: 'Please let the Municipal Party Committee set the direction, and the Municipal Government will fully cooperate. 323.2 billion is an astronomical figure; we must have unconventional thinking, unconventional resolve, and unconventional measures, otherwise this task cannot be accomplished.'

……

At 3 p. m., Lu Fan's entourage arrived at Tuo Meng, to inspect and guide the enrollment situation for the new semester.

During the investigation, Lu Fan sensed that most people welcomed the 'Ten New Measures on Education'; possibly, the more economically backward a place, the more it can accept 'lying flat,' and even if they try to compete, they cannot compete with economically strong cities.

This indeed confirms the saying: the economic base determines the superstructure.

After the investigation, Lu Fan held a small-scale discussion with Alliance Party Committee Secretary Ke Chang Qing, Alliance Governor Cai Jinjun, the Deputy Secretary, and the Standing Vice Governor; they emphasized one thing: developing the economy.

Lu Fan said earnestly: 'Last year, Tuo Meng's GDP was 41.5 billion yuan, ranking last in the province!'

The alliance's total general public budget revenue for the year was 3.35 billion yuan, down 8.5% year-on-year, also ranking last in the province.

General public budget expenditure amounted to 12.35 billion yuan, up 20% year-on-year.

My comrades, this is wrong! It is extremely abnormal! Without developing the economy and improving people's livelihood, there is only a dead end!

41.5 billion yuan—let alone coastal cities, even our neighboring Yinzhou City has at least four or five counties whose GDP each exceeds this! You are, after all, a prefecture-level administrative division!

As the saying goes, 'Know shame and then be brave; know weakness and then strive for strength; know inadequacy and then forge ahead.' I came this time to give you a check-up; as long as we can get Tuo Meng's economy developing, I will give you whatever you need. I set you a task: Tuo Meng's GDP must break through 100 billion yuan in the shortest possible time.

Comrade Chang Qing, you've been in Tuo Meng for how many months, and you're the team leader—please share your thoughts!

Ke Chang Qing had prepared in advance, opening his notebook to report: 'Secretary, the Alliance Party Committee and Alliance Government have deeply realized that being backward invites attack; only development can make us strong.'

Tuo Meng lies in China's northwestern border, where cold air frequently passes through, moving eastward and southward, bringing howling northwestern winds. The climate is arid with scarce precipitation; deserts, gobi, and wastelands are widespread. Although the windy, dry conditions make the ecological environment fragile, they also give us the confidence to 'chase the wind and follow the sun, moving toward green.'

Our wind and solar resources are exceptionally rich, all belonging to the nation's Class I resource zones; annual effective wind hours reach about 4,000–6,500 hours, annual sunshine hours about 3,100–3,600 hours, the exploitable wind-solar resource amount reaches 1.3 gigawatts, with prospective resources exceeding 3 gigawatts, making us one of the best regions nationwide for wind and solar development and utilization.

Tuo Meng has about 100,000 square kilometers of land suitable for clean energy development and utilization, of which 30,000 square kilometers have been included in the national priority development list, allowing an installable capacity of 700 megawatts.

Furthermore, our power transmission location advantage is prominent: the distance to send electricity to load centers in the south and southeast is shorter, meaning that 'north power, south transmission' benefits from a shorter distance, giving us a locational edge.

Therefore, we plan over the next three years to construct wind and solar bases with a total installed capacity of 5 gigawatts. We have already planned the layout of fifteen 100-megawatt wind-solar bases, two 20-megawatt peak-shaving thermal power plants, four pumped-storage power stations, and multiple green power transmission corridors.

Around 'green hydrogen production, photovoltaic sand control, low-carbon parks,' etc., we have also formulated corresponding supporting implementation measures.

Next, Tuo Meng will spare no effort in attracting investment to help the Gobi beaches rise with a 'wind-solar economy.'

Mayor Cai Jinjun added: 'Secretary, if these projects can be smoothly implemented, we can drive local herders to prosperity through land equity or participation in construction. Moreover, practice has proven that installing photovoltaics in these areas yields very obvious ecological benefits underneath the panels. By collecting rainwater with PV panels, vegetation beneath becomes lush; scattering grass seeds between panels yields significant sand-fixation effects. Next to the Yellow River, we also use the PV model to block sand from entering the river—this PV sand control is now advocated by the state. From these aspects, we not only boost the economy but also help improve the ecology.'

Lu Fan nodded and said: 'The idea is excellent; I approve! Having an idea, we must resolutely put it into action—give me a copy of the 21 projects you have planned; I will personally help Tuo Meng attract investment. You must definitely improve the business environment, provide all-around service to the enterprises you bring in, and as for graft, extortion, delays, and buck-passing—you few had better not engage in that!'

Any other good ideas? Speak up!

Ke Chang Qing continued his report: 'Secretary,'

Tuo Meng possesses superb natural conditions: vast territory, sparse population, open airspace, clear skies with little rain and low cloud cover; over 90% of its area is desert, gobi, and grassland, making it an ideal place to develop the low-altitude economy, truly a natural paradise for low-altitude aircraft.

Furthermore, Tuo Meng is the nation's first test flight airspace for new aircraft types, with relatively complete low-altitude infrastructure. Developing the low-altitude economy is timely and opportune.

Tuo Meng will firmly seize the strategic opportunity of low-altitude economic development, fully leverage its regional and airspace advantages, accelerate the improvement of infrastructure construction, actively plan the layout of the low-altitude industry, continually broaden the application fields of the low-altitude economy, and push regional development to a new level.

We plan to vigorously develop the new materials industry and the low-altitude equipment manufacturing industry; construct aviation research, study, and training bases as well as drone practical training bases; the Tuo Meng Vocational Technical College will establish a general aviation department, annually cultivating large numbers of drone operation and application talents.

Moreover, Tuo Meng boasts rich historical culture, desert culture, camel culture, and stone-appreciation culture. These cultures complement each other, each shining in its own way, laying a solid foundation for the development of tourism.

After hearing the reports from several people, Lu Fan felt gratified; it was clear that this leadership team was sincerely opening a new chapter and planning development, and being very pragmatic, they deserve praise.

"I fully agree with your four development ideas; the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government will strongly support and provide logistical support. Let me remind you: having ten thousand ideas in your head is no match for a single concrete action—once undertaken, even the difficult becomes easy."

"'Make courageous responsibility the first principle, be a good cadre who truly gets things done, instill the work ethic of 'do it immediately, finish it well,' follow the work requirement of 'reach a little higher, attain what you can,' speak and act immediately, grasp tightly and handle swiftly, bravely take responsibility, cooperate across departments, and fulfill duties efficiently.'"

Generally speaking, top leaders rarely repeatedly investigate the same field in a short period, but these three days, the schools are an exception.

Within three days, Lu Fan successively visited six schools in six cities; whether conducting school investigations or holding meetings to study related work, the only thing he repeatedly emphasized was: we must fully implement the 'Ten New Measures on Education,' without any discount.

Under Lu Fan's close attention, the province's education reform proceeds in an orderly manner; Deputy Governor Wei Dongsheng and all leading officials at the division level and above in the Education Department have gone deep into schools to 'supervise and fight' for education reform.

At the same time, people across the country are closely watching the situation of grassland education reform. Everyone wonders: if there is no evening self-study, how should we manage our own children? Let them play? Or let them study?

Under the 'crackdown' by the provincial, municipal, and county-level Discipline Inspection Committees and education authorities, the grassroots people's biggest feeling is that finding a private tutor now is extremely difficult! Especially for in-service teachers, once tutoring is mentioned, they immediately flee without a word—people say this is 'smashing the rice bowl.'