>> New poverty criteria to double the poor
>> Report: Ethnic minorities poverty reduction still moving slowly
In the period between 2006 and 2010, Vietnam pumped over USD700 million into a programme to boost socioeconomic development in underprivileged communities.
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| Almost all mountainous areas are poor |
The programme, costing VND14.025 trillion (USD701.025 million), specifically targets mountainous areas and any locations which are home to many ethnic minorities.
Gian Seo Phu, Minister of the National Assembly’s Committee for Ethnology touted the investment, saying that such a large allotment of funds, in the midst of a global economic downturn, shows the Government’s concern for people in underdeveloped areas.
The efforts have helped reduce the poverty rate in certain targeted areas from 47% in 2006 to 28.8% in 2010. It has also helped build roads and clinics, as well as increased per-capita income in some poverty-stricken areas to around VND4.2 million (USD210).
The programme’s steering committee plans to extend this programme through to 2020 in an effort to further reduce poverty and hunger in the poorest parts of the country.
Recently, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) suggested raising the poverty line in urban areas to VND500,000 from the current VND450,000 per person per month and to VND400,000 from VND350,000 in rural areas. If the poverty level is raised, Vietnam will have an estimated additional 3.3 million households (16.5 million individuals) living under the poverty line, increasing the number of poor households from 11% to 15%.