The Tay Nguyen Central Highlands posted a GDP growth rate of 12.2 percent in 2014, while per capita income in regional localities ranged from 31.4 million VND to 44.8 million VND (2,105 USD) per year, according to the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands.

The national programme on building new-style rural areas contributed greatly to lifting socio-economic conditions in the region, particularly the adoption of new production models in agriculture, which can be seen most clearly in the formation of animal breeding farms instead of the old household-based practice. The building of rural infrastructure including roads, irrigation systems, power supply network, schools and markets in line with criteria for new rural areas also surpassed the national average level.

Central Highlands provinces also focused resources on addressing the lack of housing and farming land for poor ethnic minority households. They have to date allocated 57,748 hectares of land to poor households and assigned 140,915 hectares of forest to 7,320 households for care and protection. At the same time, thousands of ethnic workers have been given jobs in agro-forestry companies.

Ethnic groups in the region also benefited from many preferential credit policies of the State and local authorities. They are provided with loans to invest in production or build clean water and sanitation facilities.

As a result, 117,360 households escaped from poverty in 2014, bringing the poverty rate in the region down by 2.7 percent against that of the previous year.

At the same time, educational and health care services in the region saw remarkable progress in terms of both quantity and quality. The number of ethnic students leaving school has decreased dramatically and more boarding schools have been built. The region now has 82 provincial- and district-level hospitals, while 704 out of the 722 wards and communes have medical facilities, with 66 percent of which meeting national standards for grassroots clinics.

In a bid to further reduce the rate of poor households by at least 3 percent in this year, the region will focus on speeding up vocational training and generating more jobs, while continuing with production investment and preferential credit policies for disadvantaged groups.

This year, the region continues to consolidate the great national unity and make full use of its advantages in order to maintain political stability, promote growth and improve the lives of ethnic minorities.

The Tay Nguyen Central Highlands region comprises five provinces, which are Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong provinces.-VNA