Poverty reduction policies to be reviewed

Members of the Central Steering Committee on Sustainable Poverty Reduction have suggested policymakers review assistance policies on the issue carefully to support Vietnam ’s long-term comprehensive poverty reduction and growth strategy.
Members of the Central Steering Committee on Sustainable Poverty Reduction have suggested policymakers review assistance policies on the issue carefully to support Vietnam ’s long-term comprehensive poverty reduction and growth strategy.

The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh, was held in Hanoi on February 20 to contribute to a Government draft report on the implementation of legal polices on poverty reduction in the 2005-2012 period and results achieved in 2013.

A report presented by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) revealed that the country saw an annual average poverty rate reduction of 2 percent and a 5 percent fall in disadvantaged districts and communes from 2005-2012.

In 2013, 621,000 poor households were provided with preferential loans for production development, and 13 million disadvantaged and ethnic people were granted health insurance cards, according to the report.

The poor had full access to preferential policies, thus helping reduce the poverty rate and improving their living conditions, it added.

However, the achievements were unstable, especially in mountainous and ethnic minority populated regions where the number of poor households accounted for 50 percent of the country’s total, said the report.

Deputy PM Ninh also asked related ministries to reach a common view on making suitable policies to ensure sustainable poverty reduction and strengthen people’s awareness on the topic.

The localities should apply the policies in a creative and effective manner based on their own socio-economic conditions, he said.-VNA

See more