The rate of poor households has dropped from 22 percent in 2005 to 7.8 percent last year, reports the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Total funding mobilised for poverty reduction target from 2005 to 2012 was more than 864 trillion VND (41 billion USD), the ministry said at an online meeting between the National Steering Committee on Sustainable Poverty Reduction and 63 provinces and cities on April 23.

The meeting was held to review poverty reduction results between 2005 and 2013 and the orientation for 2014-15.

However, it was agreed that poverty reduction would be unsustainable if the gap between rich and poor did not decline further, particularly in the northern mountainous and Central Highlands regions.

In many areas, the rate of poverty remains at more than 50 percent.

Overlapping in poverty reduction policies and management mechanisms was cited as a main reason for the low efficiency in poverty reduction.

The meeting agreed that poverty reduction policies should take into account real conditions of each locality.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh asked relevant ministries, agencies and localities to speed up poverty reduction tasks.

He said reduction must focus on areas with high rates of poor households, especially in mountainous and remote areas.

The Deputy PM added that poverty reduction policies needed to include those who had escaped poverty and households on the threshold of poverty.-VNA