Published:  00:00 Thursday - January 06, 2011

After the second phase of programme 135 ended 181 out of 1,000 villages have escaped poverty.

Five years after implementing the second phase of programme 135, the number of poor households has dropped by 5 percent annually from 47 percent in 2006 to 28.8 percent in 2010. The programme has encouraged all Party committees, local authorities and social and political organizations to mobilise for implementation of the Party and State’s policies and national poverty reduction targets.

VOV reporter interviewed Giang Seo Phu, Minister and Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs.

Reporter: Can you brief the results of the second phase of Programme 135 in the five years?

Minister Phu: This is a special programme because it is for the most disadvantaged areas. The programme, initiated by the Party and the State, meets the whole society’s aspirations at both central and local levels. It has been implemented comprehensively under close direction of central agencies.

Most targets have been fulfilled and a large number of people have benefited from the programme, enjoying better living conditions.

The rural and ethnic minority areas have changed for the better with the number of poor households declining sharply from 47 percent in 2006 to 28.8 percent in 2010, an account of the Party and State’s investment policy.

As these areas’ starting point is too low, investment capital is not enough to make dramatic changes. Total investment for the programme from 2006 to 2010 is VND29,000 billion but only VND14,000 billion has been disbursed. If all investment capital was disbursed in time, greater progress would have been made.

VOV: Although the number of poor communes escaping poverty keeps increasing, some communes have remained involved in the programme. What do you think about this?

Minister Giang Seo Phu

Mr Phu: The Government’s orientation is to train management officials for localities. As management decentralisation has not been well implemented, the central agencies still have to do what should be undertaken by localities. This problem in the administration process needs to be handed properly.

With the active involvement of international donors, the Vietnamese Government has gone ahead with management decentralisation in recent years. The direct manager is the local level and citizens are direct beneficiaries from the programme. The Government’s policy to consider local authority as the chief investor is proper, so most communes have made significant progress in a short time. 181 out of 1,000 communes got out of programme 135. Only some communes have remained involved in the programme since they need more support to overcome the aftermath of natural disasters.

VOV: What will be done in the third phase of the programme?

Mr Phu: The Government will focus on sustainable poverty reduction in 2011-2020 and continue to invest in disadvantaged areas. More capital will flow into more disadvantaged areas.

Based on new poverty standards, the number of beneficiaries from the programme will grow. Families which are a shape above the poverty line but did not enjoy any benefit from the programme in the second phase will be supported in the third phase.

We call on all local authorities and ethnic minority people in the most disadvantaged areas to support themselves by all means and depend less on State subsidies.

VOV: Do you think the 11^th National Party Congress will devise any policy to help people in the most disadvantaged areas?

Mr Phu: The Party’s responsibility is to care for people, especially poor people. Therefore, before the congress, people all over the country, particularly ethnic minority people trust in the Party leadership and the congress’s decisions. They always stand side by side with the Party to develop the country in the renewal process, towards industrialisation and modernisation in the next ten years (2011-2020).

I believe that the Party, State and Government will adopt proper policies to eliminate poverty, especially for people in the remote, and mountainous areas inhabited by ethnic minority groups.

VOV: Thank you very much.