Laos is striving to be free of poverty by 2015, said the Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office Oneneua Phommachane, at a three-day meeting in Luang Namtha province on rural development and poverty reduction.

Laos News Agency KPL on July 15 quoted Oneneua as saying at the Council of Poverty Reduction Fund’s meeting that rural development and efforts to reduce poverty – a priority for the nation’s Party and government – are now being carried out in the six provinces of Houaphan, Xieng Khouang, Luang Namtha, Savannakhet, Champassak and Saravan.

“The Poverty Reduction Fund is one of the government’s tools that will help it to reduce poverty and increase rural development in Laos, which will bring a lot of benefits to the local people,” he noted.

He urged the participants from rural areas to discuss and exchange their experiences in the field to make their work more effective and enable Laos to achieve its target by 2015./.