Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked southern Hau Giang province to further tap its potential and overcome weaknesses and shortcomings for rapid and sustainable development.

Working with key provincial leaders in the headquarters of the Southwestern Steering Board in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on March 20, Dung suggested Hau Giang focuses its resources on effectively building new rural areas. At the same time, it should pay attention to infrastructure investment, especially in transport, power, clean water and medical stations, with a priority given to planning.

The PM asked the province to pay heed to education and training, from pre-school to university and technical vocation training levels, take effective measures to ensure social welfare and poverty reduction, and generate jobs to improve local people’s material and spiritual lives.

Dung requested that local leaders stand side-by-side with businesses by taking concrete measures to clear obstacles, especially for those working in agro-fishery for export.

He praised the locality for its socio-economic achievements last year. Its gross domestic product rose by over 14 percent year-on-year, agriculture grew by 4.1 percent, 24,500 jobs were created and the rate of poor households reduced by nearly 4 percent.

Dung and ministry and department leaders gave their opinions on the construction of a hi-tech agriculture area and funding for several key transport projects in the region.

Tran Cong Chanh, Chairman of the Hau Giang provincial People’s Committee, said the locality strives to have nursery schools in every town and commune, apply science-technology in production, trading, agriculture and rural areas, and improve the quality of law dissemination this year.

Chanh added that in the first two months of this year, the province’s total social development investment hit nearly 2 trillion VND (100 million USD), a year-on-year rise of 22 percent. Outbreaks of plant and animal diseases are put under control, and social order and safety have been maintained.-VNA