Minister-Chairman of the Government’s Committee for Ethnic Affairs Giang Seo Phu has asked the central province of Ninh Thuan to efficiently implement the State’s policies on improving the living standards of people in ethnic minority or mountainous areas.

The province should promote local strengths and ensure social welfare policies for the target groups, Phu said while working with local authorities to inspect the implementation of ethnic policies in Ninh Thuan on April 9.

Discussion was focused on the implementation of ethnic policies such as supporting infrastructure building, production development, providing land for housing and cultivation and programmes on rural modernisation and vocational training.

Provincial Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Duc Thanh suggested supporting farmers with high-yield seeds and technology transfer as well as combining production with forest development.

Phu asked the province to review the benefits and downsides of each policy and make proposals to remove bottlenecks.

Ninh Thuan is now home to 34 ethnic groups, the largest of which is the Kinh people, followed by Cham, Raglay, Coho, and Hoa (Chinese) and a smaller number of Churu, Nung and Tay .

Earlier, Phu had working sessions with authorities from the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau , the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu , and the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region regarding their respective ethnic minority policies.

Vietnam now has 130 policies benefitting ethnic communities, according to the Committee for Ethnic Affairs.-VNA