Cabinet discusses target program for ethnic minority localities

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a Cabinet meeting on April 24 that discussed an investment proposal within the National Target Program on Socio-economic Development in Mountainous and Ethnic Minority Areas in the 2021-2030 Period.

According to a report from the Government Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, Vietnam is currently home to 14.1 million ethnic minority people, or 14.7 percent of the population. Mountainous and ethnic areas have seen rapid development over recent years but remain the most disadvantaged in the country.

The report proposed that the Program be carried out in two phases in communes and hamlets where ethnic minority households make up at least 15 percent of all households.

Total investment in the 2021-2025 period will reach 204 trillion VND (8.68 billion USD at current exchange rate), and over 210.5 trillion VND in the 2026-2030 period. Funding will come from central and local budgets, policy credit, and other sources.

The Program aims to cut the poverty rate in ethnic areas by over 3 percent each year to 2025 and bring it down to less than 10 percent of the population by 2030. The average income of ethnic minority households in 2025 is to double that in 2019.

The Government Committee for Ethnic Affairs also proposed ten projects in a range of fields.

PM Phuc spoke of the Committee’s thorough preparations, adding that this is one of three major national target programs.

He asked the Committee to avoid overlapping with other national target programs on building new-style rural areas and ensuring sustainable poverty reduction.

He agreed with a proposal to focus on assisting livelihoods and improving the living conditions of ethnic minority groups. He highlighted the need to take advantage of different sources of capital to develop these areas rather than depending on the State budget.

The program should identify specific solutions in resolving the lack of residential and cultivation land, housing, and water for daily use, he said.

Cabinet members also heard a report from the Ministry of Planning and Investment on completing the Prime Minister’s draft decision on a list of enterprises to divest before the end of this year, replacing the PM’s Decision No. 1232.

PM Phuc requested a careful review of divestment in certain areas and stressed that openness and transparency are paramount during the process, to prevent corruption