Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged the authorities of northern Nam Dinh province to take full advantage of its resources for construction and development.

While working with key provincial leaders in Hanoi on March 6, Dung agreed with the province’s goals for this year, including a growth rate of 12 percent, exports worth 400 million USD, a minimum rise of 15 percent in total social investment, and the reduction of poor households to 5.5 percent.

Dung asked the province to clear obstacles for production and trading firms, attract investment, especially in industries with high added value, and make the best use of high-quality human resource.

The local authorities were requested to pay attention to applying science-technology advances in intensive farming, speeding up the building of modern rural areas, and developing healthcare, culture and education. At the same time, they must further accelerate administrative reforms, combat corruption and take drastic measures to ensure traffic safety and order.

Dung, together with ministry and department leaders, gave opinions on the allocation of capital for the construction of the Nam Dinh–Phu Ly road and the negotiations for a 2,400MW power plant in Hai Hau district.

Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Pham Hong Ha said this year, Nam Dinh will step up the construction of new rural areas in 96 communes until 2015, open more large-scale model fields, channel more credit into production and trading to increase competitiveness, and attract domestic and foreign investment.

Last year, Nam Dinh enjoyed a rise of 11.7 percent in gross domestic product (GDP) and a GDP per capita of 21.1 million VND (1,000 USD). It created jobs for 30,500 workers and reduced the rate of poor households to 6.72 percent.-VNA