With many efforts, Binh Duong basically escaped poverty, two year earlier than expected in the Resolution set out by provincial Party Committee between 2006 and 2010. The lives of the poor people herein saw positive changes and improvements. Currently, Binh Duong builds the new poverty line for the 2010 and 2015 period.

 

Plan fulfilled

 

Binh Duong made a breakthrough in poverty reduction over the past five years. In 2006, the province’s new poverty line was below VND400,000 per person per month in the countryside and below VND500,000 for those living in urban areas. After 3 year-implementation of the poverty line, the whole province only had 1,950 poor households, or 0.99% of total. Thus, the province basically escaped poverty, two year earlier than planned.

 

Provincial vice-chairman Huynh Van Nhi awarding P&G scholarships to poor-but-excellent pupils

In 2009, Binh Duong continued raising the poverty line for the 2009 and 2010 period, including below VND600,000 per person per month in the countryside and below VND780,000 for those living in urban areas. Under the poverty line, Binh Duong is home to 7.417 poor households, or 3.45% of total. Binh Duong will strive to reduce the ratio of poor households to below 1.5% by the end of 2010, fulfilled the projection. Thus, Binh Duong is one of the country’s localities with the highest ratio in escaping poverty.

 

Policies for poverty reduction

 

To achieve the above results, Binh Duong over time took breakthrough measures for its poverty reduction programs in line with the socio-economic performance of each locality.

 

Among these measures, Binh Duong spent billions of dong on training and offering jobs for rural laborers, demobees and those living in projected areas; provided subsidized loans for poor households, students and pupils; granted health insurance cards for all poor households and gave financial support for households near poverty line to buy health insurance cards…

 

More than 17,000 people herein received social support with a monthly allowance of VND340,000. Binh Duong also launched many significant programs to help the local poor households quickly escape poverty. Upon the local Funds for the Poor at all levels, Binh Duong built and donated unity houses for poor households

 

For targets and orientations till 2015, Binh Duong will put focus on economic development programs in association with ensuring social welfare, generating jobs and reducing poverty, issuing the new poverty line between 2011 and 2015, striving to basically have no more poor households by 2015 under the new poverty line.

 

Reported by Van Son-Translated by K.T