VietNamNet Bridge – District authorities in HCM City have taken many measures to ensure social welfare after the Government passed Resolution 11 last month to curb inflation and stabilise the economy.

Thu Duc District authorities have got commitments from owners of 3,500 boarding houses not to raise rents until the end of this year, thus benefiting nearly 100,000 low-income workers.

This model has also been followed by other districts.

The Tan Phu District Fatherland Front Committee has instructed all 11 wards to encourage landlords not to hike rents this year, benefiting 15,000 workers.

It has also ordered local authorities to ensure workers and students living in boarding houses are not forced to pay extra for electricity.

Phan Tan Luc, deputy chairman of the Tan Phu People's Committee, said 6,949 families had been provided free health insurance, including 3,507 poor ones.

The Go Vap District People's Committee has ordered the district's 16 wards to set up at least one outlet in every residential area to sell essential goods at fair prices, especially rice, petrol, milk products, and medicines.

District 1 would provide every poor household VND500,000 to VND1 million, Tran Vinh Tuyen, chairman of its People's Committee, said, adding that in response to a call to help poor households, firms had donated a total of VND500 million (US$24,000).

For poor households, besides regular support provided under existing policies, there would also be other support until year-end, Tuyen said.

Vo Khac Thai, deputy chairman of the District 3 People's Committee, said his District had used VND1 billion ($48,000) from a fund for charity and gratitude to support poorest households.

It had also drawn up a list of 107 households who would be provided VND10 million each, and is building 47 houses to donate to poor families, he said.

Speaking at an online conference of cities and provinces on implementation of Resolution 11 chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung last Friday, deputy chairwoman of the City People's Committee, Nguyen Thi Hong, said besides regular social-welfare measures, there would also be additional assistance this year, including financial support for very poor households and families that contributed to the revolution.

Very poor households were likely to get an average of VND100,000 per person per month, she said.

Poor households, or those with less than VND8 million per person per year, would get VND30,000 a month to pay their electricity bills, she added.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News