Hanoi reaches poverty reduction target ahead of schedule hinh anh 1 Social policy beneficiaries in Dong Lac commune, Chuong My district, are completing procedures to get loans at a transaction site of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies' Hanoi branch. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The rate of poor households in Hanoi dropped to 1.16 percent at the end of 2018 from 1.69 percent recorded at the end of last year, helping the city meet the target of poverty reduction two years ahead of schedule.

Of note, the inner districts of Thanh Xuan and Ba Dinh have successfully wiped out poverty in 2018, raising the total number of districts with no poor households in Hanoi to four, along with Cau Giay and Tay Ho.

At the beginning of 2018, Ba Dinh had 435 poor households with 1,271 people. Given this, the district has helped them upgrade their houses, access production loans and vocational training, and find jobs.

In 2018, the Hanoi People’s Committee allocated more than 108 billion VND (4.6 million USD) from the municipal budget, which was channeled through the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, and more than 26 billion VND (1.1 million USD) mobilised from different sources to aid families with housing difficulties. Organisations and individuals have also donated hundreds of billions of VND.

The funding has helped 4,166 families in the city build or upgrade houses, 120 homes higher than the set target. No households in Hanoi now suffer difficulties in terms of housing.

To realise the target programme on sustainable poverty reduction for the 2016-2020 period, Hanoi has asked districts and agencies to take a range of solutions.

The city has monthly provided 350,000 VND (15.05 USD) as allowance for each out of 5,000 old people and free health insurance cards for the poor, near-poor people and other social policy beneficiaries.

Besides, Hanoi has also implemented programmes aiming to spur socio-economic development in rural and mountainous areas which have still faced difficulties such as Ba Vi, Thach That and My Duc districts, while organising mobile job fairs in districts and towns.

To ensure rapid, sustainable poverty reduction, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has asked districts to continue reviewing the list of poor households in order to set forth specific support plans.

Poverty reduction should be uninterrupted work for all-level authorities so that disadvantaged people will not be left behind, he said.-VNA
VNA