VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, tells the Vietnam News Agency that policies are in place to meet social security targets.

What measures will MoLISA adopt to ensure the country's social security target?

Government Resolution 2 issued on January 9, 2011 has listed some major measures to help ensure the country's socio-economic development plan can be achieved.

I can say that all policies relating to social security, particularly the poverty reduction programme issued by the Government, have been well considered and funding for the implementation has been allocated.

To cope with the recent price hikes in electricity and petrol, all ministries and sectors have to review policies which are in place and make sure they will be strictly implemented as planned. For example our ministry, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have sat down to discuss how to co-operate in helping poor households. We agreed to provide a monthly VND30,000 subsidy to help them if their electricity consumption is less than 50 kW/ month. We also discussed an option for HCM City, the central city of Da Nang, and the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, that Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) would directly deduct the amount from households' electricity bills. Yet, this method may pose a problem of transparency for EVN when they do their financial statements. In addition, EVN couldn't do the work for other State management agencies.

Other arguments say that the subsidy should be implemented in a transparent manner for all households nationwide, regardless of whether they are connected to the national electricity grid or not. But currently, poor households in remote places that cannot connect to the national grid are provided with five litres of kerosene a year (valued at about VND75,000). So MoLISA has asked EVN not to deduct VND30,000 from electricity bills – instead they'll give money in cash to eligible households across the board.

How will the VND30,000 be distributed to eligible households?

MoLISA will ask EVN to transfer the whole support package to us and then we will disburse the money.

For example, there are more than 3.1 million poor households in the country. We have the list of all poor households in each locality. Based on that list we will transfer the money to the local authorities and the provincial People's Committee's chairman will be responsible for the work.

The labour ministry and the finance ministry have agreed to co-operate in solving any problem arising during the implementation, particularly the transferring of money if there are delays with EVN.

But the most challenging issue is how to give the money to households living in remote areas every month when the sum is so small.

With lessons learned in giving supporting money to poor households during the recent Lunar New Year Festival, I'm convinced that we can do it.

I'm also confident that with support from the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and the whole political system, the money will go to eligible households.

I can assure everyone that the price increase in electricity will not affect the livelihoods of poor people.

Although the sum of VND30,000 is small, for households that aren't connected to the national grid, it is enough to cover the cost of kerosene for lighting.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News