Ministries Told to Double Sustainable Poverty Reduction Efforts

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked ministries, sectors and localities to heighten their sense of responsibility towards rapid and sustainable poverty alleviation to turn the country into an industrialized society by 2020. Speaking at an online conference in Hanoi on May 8, the Prime Minister reiterated that the Government considers poverty reduction its key task, stating the involved parties need to study and propose concrete measures to more effectively implement Resolution 30a/2008/NQ-CP on poverty alleviation. He agreed with localities’ proposals to increase the involvement of young intellectuals and design policies to support impoverished households or those near the poverty line within one year. The National Steering Committee on Sustainable Poverty Reduction should continue to review and fine-tune policies in line with the resolution, specifically removing ineffective measures while promoting and supplementing efficient policies. The PM suggested focusing on forest protection, supporting poor districts and ethnic minority regions to develop animal livestock, and encouraging businesses to invest in underprivileged areas. It is also necessary to balance financial sources and increase field inspections at the grassroots level. The National Steering Committee pledged to speed up efforts in mountainous, ethnic minority, border, coastal and island regions from 2016-2020 as well as concentrate on building infrastructure, facilitating manufacturing development and enhancing access to social services for residents. According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalid and Social Affairs, Resolution 30a/2008/NQ-CP is a major policy of the Party and State aiming to reduce poverty in disadvantaged regions. Over the past six years, VND22.1 trillion ($1,034 million) was allocated from the State budget to fund the program, including VND17.1 trillion from the central budget and VND2 trillion from the local budget. On average, each poor district receives VND35 billion-VND40 billion per year. The rate of poverty-stricken households from 2011-2014 in 64 poor districts reduced by an average 6% per year (from 377,939 poor households in late 2010 to 234,743 in late 2014), higher than the 4% target set in the resolution. By 2020, at least 50% of districts are expected to escape from poverty while the average per capita income will double that of 2015. (vietnamplus.vn May 8)