VietNamNet Bridge – The city targets establishing a minimum VND8 million (US$410) in annual income per capita for all families, according to the city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The city aims to help nearly 20,000 needy families escape poverty and reduce last year's poverty rate of 5.7 per cent to 5.4 per cent.

To reach the target, the city will continue its preferential loan programmes and financial support policies.

These include tuition exemption and provision of scholarships and health insurance cards for poor families, including those with an annual income below VND8 million per capita.

In addition, it will improve vocational consulting and training as well as create jobs for the poor, and offer job training for 1,200 labourers.

At least 10,000 new jobs will be created, and 100 people will be sent to other countries to work.

As part of its poverty reduction scheme, the city will continue to upgrade and build charity houses for poor families who cannot afford housing.

At the end of last year, the city had 105,326 poor families with an annual income below VND12 million ($600) per capita, a decline in number from the beginning of the year when there were 130,917.

Of the total number, nearly 30,000 families have an annual income below VND8 million.

Last year, the city provided a total of nearly VND3 trillion ($153.8 million) in loans to poor families, and more than 1,900 labourers received vocational training, an increase of more than 1,000 over 2009.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News