Vietnam will mobilise the entire political system to carry out its national programme on building new rural areas, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said.

The PM delivered this commitment while chairing an August 6 online conference to launch the national programme on building new rural areas from 2010 to 2020.

Deputy PMs Nguyen Sinh Hung, Truong Vinh Trong and Hoang Trung Hai and leaders of the concerned ministries, agencies and 63 cities and provinces also attended the event.

PM Dung said the programme, designed to address the important issues of agriculture, farmers and new rural areas, is a general development programme in terms of economy, culture and society.

It would promote the self-reliance rights of people, build the political system, and ensure national defence, security and social order. In this way both Party and State take care of the lives of people in rural areas, who account for 70 percent of the nation’s population, the leader said.

Participants agreed to set the targets that 20 percent of the country’s communes will meet new rural requirements by 2015 and half of the total number of communes will achieve the requirements five years later.

PM Dung promised to provide 40 percent of the needed capital for the performance of the programme and the rest will be sourced from credits, businesses, cooperatives, economic sectors and the community.

The government leader also requested cities and provinces prioritise institutional reforms and human resources and technical infrastructure development, especially in education./.