The rate of poor ethnic minority households in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong has fallen to 18 percent, which represented a drop of 32 percent from the 2001-2005 period.

The figure was released at a meeting held in Da Lat City on August 30 to review the 10 years since Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW was issued by the Political Bureau on socio-economic development and national defence and security in the Central Highlands region between 2001-2010.

Reducing poverty sustainably in Lam Dong has also helped to stabilise the socio-economy, security and the political situation in the Central Highlands.

Over the last decade, the province has spent 87.8 billion VND on building 14,600 houses for ethnic minority people, who make up 22 percent of the province’s population and 69.4 billion VND on clean water supplies to 16,600 households.

The province has disbursed 500 billion VND from Programme 135 to develop local infrastructures in 49 extremely disadvantaged communes across 10 districts.

The power project in the Central Highlands region has also enabled Lam Dong province to supply electricity to more than 19,700 households in 475 villages.

The investment policy has helped to boost sustainable economic development amongst provincial ethnic minority communities, at an annual growth rate of 9-12 percent./.