Reinforced attempts crucial to social policy implementation: PM

Authorities and sectors at all levels should consider implementing social policy their focal mission and dedicate strengthened efforts to bring it into fruition, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said on August 13.

He made the request at a nationwide teleconference reviewing the three-year implementation of a Government resolution on carrying out Party Resolution 15-NQ/TW regarding social policy-related matters for 2012-2020.

A report at the function said that the Government, ministries, sectors and localities have worked out concrete plans of action and taken strong measures to implement the Government resolution, thus helping ensure people’s right to social welfare.

More than 1.3 national devotees have access to monthly benefits, an increase of 94,000 from 2012. About 38,060 families of revolutionary contributors have also received free houses or financial support for homebuilding.

Since 2012, about 1.6 million people have found jobs every year while the unemployment rate has dropped from 2.18 percent to 2.08 percent in 2014.

The household poverty rate in Vietnam based on the poverty line set for 2011-2015 reduced by an average of 2 percent annually from 14.2 percent in 2011 to 5.97 percent by the end of last year.

The figure in poverty-stricken districts, which have over 50 percent of their total households considered impoverished, declined to 32.59 percent at the end of 2014 from 50.97 percent in 2011.

The rate of deprived households nationwide is expected to stand at below 5 percent and under 27 percent in poor districts later this year, meeting targets set by the National Assembly.

The report also said that despite those attainments, realising the resolutions still faces challenges, including lax connectivity among social welfare policies, varying viewpoints of officials and people, the inefficient dissemination of laws and policies and inadequate attention to the work.

Concluding the conference, PM Nguyen Tan Dung hailed efforts to enact social policies, noting that many objectives have been reached while others are achievable by the target year 2020.

He told ministries, sectors and localities to work harder to win society’s support and attract and optimise foreign and domestic resources to ensure social welfare.-VNA