VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to co-operate with sectors and localities in revising its policies in support of poor households.

A two-kilometre road built under Government-funded Programme 135 in Sung Tra Commune, Meo Vac District, in the northern province of Ha Giang, contributes to poverty reduction by facilitating local travel for work and study.

The Prime Minister made his request at a meeting with ministers in Ha Noi yesterday where the ministry outlined its suggested mechanisms, policies and supportive solutions for poverty-stricken districts until 2015 with an orientation to 2020.

The ministry says more than 50 per cent of households, about 480,000, in 61 districts of 20 provinces are in poverty against the national rate of 18 per cent.

More than 70 per cent of households in 16 districts are in poverty.

Communes in the northern provinces of Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Ha Giang and Thanh Hoa are the poorest.

Average monthly income for the poor households in the 61 districts was VND140,000 in 2006, the equivalent to 22 per cent of the average national income.

The ministry’s plans presented at the meeting are intended to quicken the change in the living standards of the poor, including minority people; support the sustainable development of agriculture and forestry in their localities and build economic-social infrastructure suitable to each commune.

The Prime Minister instructed that each commune in the 61 districts work out its own plan to alleviate poverty till 2015 with an orientation toward 2020 so that the State could prepare to provide the capital.

Corporations and enterprises with sound businesses must accept the responsibility of helping the poor communes, he said.

Anti-corruption strategy

Chief State Inspector Tran Van Truyen introduced a draft of national strategy for the fight against corruption till 2020.

The strategy was intended to eliminate the conditions from which corruption could arise and build a transparent Government apparatus with incorruptible civil servants, he said.

The strategy embodies the following five measures:

Improving the transparency of authorities and agencies;

Completing the economic management regime;

Building a fair competitive business environment;

Improving supervision, surveillance, investigation and prosecutions; and Raising society’s awareness about its role in the fight against corruption.

The Prime Minister said that the Government would now issue a resolution to complement the proposed national strategy.

(Source: Viet Nam News)