VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has passed 16 out of 21 national target programmes proposed and submitted to the Prime Minister for approval as part of a five-year socio-economic development plan for 2011-15.

Students at Dung Quat Vocational Training School in the central coastal province of Quang Ngai. Investment for national programmes will focus on employment and vocational training. (Photo: VNS)

The investment includes VND217 trillion ($10.4 billion) from the State budget, accounting for 4.4 per cent of the country's total budget spending estimated for that period.

The MPI said the investment was focused on employment programmes and vocational training, sustainable poverty reduction, clean water and sanitation in rural areas, healthcare, HIV/AIDS prevention, food safety and hygiene, population and family planning, culture, education and training, anti-drug and crime prevention, building new rural models, energy saving and efficiency, responding to climate change and environment improvement.

Programmes include an anti-dollarisation in Viet Nam and anti-money laundering; the 2011-20 National Urban Upgrading for housing support for central coastal provinces effected by disaster; and the Ministry of Industry and Trade's combat against smuggling, counterfeiting and trade fraud. Such programmes should be considered according to the PM's decisions.

The ministry also proposed to balance the State budget of around VND122 trillion ($5.8 billion), equivalent to about 2.5 per cent of the total budget expenditure and 2.3 times the total funding for the national target programmes five years ago.

In addition, it asked relevant ministries to clearly define responsibilities between central and local authorities for each programme. Programmes which have not been suitable with criteria of national target programmes should be supported under regular spending mechanism.

A Co-ordinating Office of the national target programmes aims to bring programmes across the nation together while avoiding overlapping. At the same time, it asked localities to set up a steering committee.

The national target programmes over the last five years completed seven socio-economic and environment goals out of the 23 targets.

It also helped Viet Nam complete several Millennium Development Targets ahead of schedule, rank the first in the Southeast Asia region, and be a tool for ministries to resolve emerging industrial issues.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News