The HCM City administration targets
limiting the poverty rate below 5.4 per cent and unemployment to less than 5 per
cent this year.

During a meeting yesterday, city leaders also set the
targets of per capita GDP of US$3,000 for this year.

According to the city government, last year poverty
reduction policies were highly successful, supporting many people who lived
under the poverty line.

The deputy head of the city People’s Committee, Nguyen
Thanh Tai, said the city reached its goals by fulfilling its policies on human
resources, the environment and other areas.

Completed tasks

For the economy, the city plans to have a GDP growth rate
of 12 per cent this year, to $24 billion.

Export turnover, excluding crude oil exports, would
increase 9 per cent. The growth of the consumer price index will be kept under 7
per cent.

On social issues, the population growth rate will be kept
under 1 per cent and the rate of malnutrition in children under five years of
age would be below 5 per cent. For the latter, in 2010 the city targeted a rate
of under 7.6 per cent.

Besides several important socio-economic targets, projects
for children will also be realised this year.

The city has chosen 2011 as the year for children.

The city will conduct a survey on possible entertainment
places for children and 10 playgrounds in the city’s major parks. They are
expected to be built this year.

At the meeting, six groups of solutions on the economy,
urban development, education, culture, administration reform and national
defence were discussed in detail.

According to the chairman of the municipal People’s
Committee, Le Hoang Quan, in 2011 the city will continue to implement measures
to speed up its economic structure in the direction of services, industry and
agriculture.

The city will also focus on measures to stabilise and
develop production and business, expand markets, and boost exports and
activities of financial services, real estate, securities and gold markets.

One of the city’s most important tasks this year will be to
reduce the consumer price index, especially for the upcoming Lunar New Year.

The city will maintain political stability, further
strengthen the role of State management in environmental affairs, and create
measure to tackle the effects of global climate change.

It will also increase investment in social security
policies and poverty reduction programmes.

Growth target set

At the 9th HCM City Party Committee meeting also held
yesterday, city leaders approved the target of growing at 50 per cent above the
national average over the next decade and agreed on the things needed to be done
to achieve the goal.

The meeting also discussed the shortcomings in the city’s
development process and measures to address them.

Growth quality and efficiency remained low while
restructure of the economy and reform of the labour sector were proceeding at a
snail’s pace, delegates admitted.

They agreed to prioritise nine areas, including
international trade, finance, tourism, real estate, and technology.

Priority would also be given to four key industries -
machinery, electronics and IT, chemistry, and cooking production - which would
provide value addition, they said.

They agreed sustainable development of agriculture was
necessary to secure the City’s socio-economic growth.

They also agreed to make reform of State-owned enterprises
more effective and create favourable conditions for private businesses to
thrive.

Source: VNS