Nearly VND28B to Ease Poverty in Long An Province

Vietnam's Mekong Delta province of Long An has been allocated VND28 billion ($1.2 million) to carry out the national target program on sustainable poverty reduction in 2019, according to the provincial People’s Committee. Of the total amount, nearly VND16 billion will be used to support infrastructure development in very difficult communes in coastal and border areas, and the remainder is set aside to assist production development for poor and near-poor households, help ethnic minority people work abroad, and maintain local infrastructure works. Long An is home to 17 border communes who are beneficiaries of the sustainable poverty reduction program. The program has caused positive impact on locals as it helps branch out socio-economic development in rural and remote areas, and create favorable conditions for the impoverished to get access to basic social services. Last year, the province received VND26 billion for the program, and the money contributed largely to reducing poverty rate from 4.03% in 2016 to 2.22% in 2018. (VOV Apr 22)