Paying attention to caring for the poor during Tet and to sustainable poverty reduction

As the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival draws nearer, localities, political and social organisations, enterprises and benefactors have paid visits and presented gifts to policy beneficiary families, revolutionary contributors, the poor, the elderly, people with disabilities, children and people living in difficult circumstances.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc presents Tet gift to an Agent Orange victim in Vinh Long Province. (Photo: VGP)
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc presents Tet gift to an Agent Orange victim in Vinh Long Province. (Photo: VGP)

According to statistics, the total value of gifts provided to policy beneficiaries and needy people stands at over VND5.5 trillion (nearly US$238 million) in 2019, including VND3.4 trillion (US$147 million) for policy beneficiaries, VND1.3 trillion (US$56.2 million) for the poor, and nearly VND800 billion for other social relief activities. In addition, nearly 24 million health insurance cards and free health care books or cards were given to policy beneficiaries nationwide.

The year 2019 marked the effective implementation of the resolutions on poverty reduction that were set out by the National Assembly and Government. The National Target Programme on sustainable poverty reduction, as well as supporting policies of healthcare, housing, preferential credit, agricultural and forestry extension and production development for poor and near-poverty households, recorded important results. According to the report of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the average poverty rate of Vietnam dropped below 4% by the end of 2019. The General Statistics Office also announced that the hunger situation among farmers has decreased sharply in recent months.

The building of new-style rural areas over recent years has brought about positive impacts, contributing to improving the people’s lives as well as boosting the development of socio-economic infrastructure in rural areas. Many cultural foundations and schools have been built and renovated in accordance with standards; meanwhile, the programmes supporting varieties for agricultural production and preferential credit policies for poor and near-poverty households have helped people to improve their lives. The Party and State have also paid special attention to enhancing social welfare for needy people and policy beneficiaries.

Thanks to the close attention and direction of the NA and Government, the poverty reduction has gradually made changes in public awareness. The poverty reduction policies have created a driving force for people to overcome all difficulties to improve their material and spiritual lives. There have been more and more families applying to withdraw from the list of poor households in many localities, including Dien Bien, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Binh and Kon Tum. The situation has proved the efficiency of poverty reduction policies as well as shown that people have made great efforts to overcome the poverty.

2020 is a key year to implement the emulation movement “The whole country joins hands for the poor – No one left behind” for 2016-2020 period; therefore, the whole political system and society should join hands. Accordingly, the Fatherland Front committees at all level should uphold their core role in gathering and encouraging people from all strata to join emulation movement and campaigns for the poor.

In addition, the whole country will continue to implement the resolutions on poverty reduction set by the NA and Government, while persevering to accelerate sustainable poverty reduction with the application of multi-dimensional poverty measurement approaches. It is essential to set policies that can help people, particularly those in ethnic minority groups and remote areas, to promote their self-reliance in escaping from poverty. The authorities also need to focus on the care for policy beneficiaries, revolutionary contributors and needy people.

With the joint efforts of the whole community, many programmes have been held at central and local levels, towards the goals of all people celebrating a happy, healthy, safe and economical Lunar New Year Festival. The care for policy beneficiary families, the poor and disadvantaged people during Tet should be strengthened in a deeper manner, with practical, meaningful and timely forms. The State management agencies should pay strong attention to creating favourable conditions for needy people to overcome difficulties in the coming times, while closely monitoring the implementation of preferential policies and sustainable poverty reduction programmes at all levels.

In the immediate future, it is necessary to accelerate the education of revolutionary traditions among the people, particularly the younger generations, as well as to mobilise more resources for the movements to support policy beneficiaries and needy people. The care for needy beneficiaries has become an inherent cultural identity in the spiritual lives of Vietnamese people, not only on the occasion of Tet festival, but all year round.

NHAN DAN