WB programme to help reduce poverty in Vietnam

Vietnam’s Prime Minister on November 11 approved the policy framework for the 10th Poverty Reduction Credit Support programme (PRSC 10) to serve as a basis for the PRSC 10 negotiations with the World Bank (WB) scheduled to take place on the same day in Hanoi. 

The negotiation delegation is led by Le Minh Hung, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam. 

PRSC was initiated in Vietnam in 2002 to help the Vietnamese Government implement the Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy, coupled with reform in the fields of socio-economic development and State governance. 

WB implements PRSC in developing countries with stable macro-economies and reasonable financial management systems.

Lawmakers pan use of farmlands for industry

Many farmers will suffer if the government takes over their lands for building industrial parks as stated in its plans for the 2011-15 period, many lawmakers warned in the National Assembly on Thursday, Nov 10.

Le Van Hoc, deputy chairman of the NA’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Teenagers and Children, pointed out that the government wanted to appropriate another 200,000 hectares of farmland for the industrial parks though 46 percent of the 72,000 ha already acquired was yet to be used

Meanwhile, many of the farmers who had lost their lands to industrial projects were facing great difficulty since they had not been compensated adequately, Dinh Thi Phuong Lan, a Quang Ngai Province representative, said.

For every hectare of land taken over, 10 farmers were made jobless, she said citing a recent study.

Thus, if the government acquired 73,200 ha annually as it plans to, more than 700,000 farmers would lose their livelihoods every year, she warned.

The government should protect farmers’ interests by paying for their lands at market rates and not based on the existing schedule in which the rates were very low, she said.

Dr Tran Du Lich of Ho Chi Minh City urged the government to reconsider its land-use plans since, according to experts, it took 50 years to utilize 200,000 ha. On the other hand, the cost of development would be huge, he said, urging the government to consider the cost of developing 200,000 ha.

HCMC has only 2,500 ha of industrial parks but accounts for 28 percent of the country’s industrial output, he said.

Truong Van Vo of Dong Nai Province said planning laws should be enacted to ensure the social and economic efficiency of programs that used land.

Mekong to develop flood-proof housing

Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tran Nam yesterday asked Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces to speed up work on construction of housing foundations, dykes and infrastructure for flood-proof residential clusters.

Reviewing the results of a national programme on building flood-proof residential clusters in the Delta, Nam said residents living in the clusters had been protected from rising floodwaters in the Delta in the past 10 years.

Nam said the construction of clusters in low-lying areas should be completed on schedule so the people in affected areas could relocate in 2013, as scheduled in the second phase of the programme.

However, the process of building flood-proof residential clusters in provinces under the second phase has been slow, while the provincial authorities said it was due to a capital shortage.

Under the second phase (2008-13), the programme intends to build 178 flood-proof residential clusters with total investment of more than VND3.283 trillion (US$ 157.8 million). At least VND1.398 trillion ($67.2 million) from the central and province budgets and VND1.885 trillion ($90.6 million) from bank loans would be given.

However, capital allocation has been slow. There is a lack of VND582 billion ($27.98 million) from the State budget and more than VND842 billion ($40.48 million) from bank loans have not been implemented yet.

Furthermore, price volatility has led to an increase in the current investment capital, much higher than the earlier calculated capital, especially for site clearance and construction investment.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has asked province to submit a periodic report on expenses and specific coming plans in order to ensure effective use of investment capital.

The MPI said the provinces should get capital for building dykes from the Government's Flood and Storm Preparedness and Prevention Fund and capital for infrastructure should be collected from businesses.

A representative of the Government Office said the Government would solve a capital shortage next year.

After the cluster completion, localities should manage and balance the local budget annually for maintenance.

Nam said localities should not increase expenses by decreasing the scale of cluster projects.

Attending were officials of the Ministry of Construction, and provincial authorities from An Giang, Kien Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Tien Giang, and Long An provinces.

JICA helps Hanoi ease traffic congestion

A project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is expected to help Hanoi ease traffic congestion in the near future. 

The project, lasting from July this year to 2014, was introduced at a press briefing in Hanoi on November 11. It aims to increase the number of people using public transport services through improving managerial capacity and piloting transport activities by buses to ease traffic jam in the capital city. 

According to Takagi, an expert from JICA, the increasing number of personal vehicles and restrictive infrastructure are the main causes for traffic congestion in Hanoi, especially during peak periods during the morning and evening. 

He said that along with infrastructure development, the authorities need to improve service quality and take financial measures to encourage the locals to use public transport service, especially buses, in a bid to solve the issue.

Radio broadcast to honour road heroes

The stories of heroes who make significant contributions to road safety will be among the segments of a new twice-weekly radio show on travel and transport on the national Radio Voice of Vietnam and the Voice of HCM City People.

The 30-minute Total-Road Guardian show, starting next Monday, will also feature stories from behind the steering wheel, fond memories of road travels, useful information on transport and essential needs for engines.

It will give away Total-Road Guardian awards nominated by listeners to people strictly following traffic laws, coming up with initiatives to prevent accidents, and taking practical actions to save other people.

The Guardian of the Week will receive a VND2 million ($95) cash award and the Guardian of the Month, VND5 million ($240).

The programme is a brainchild of the National Traffic Safety Committee, VOV Traffic Channel, and VOH Urban Traffic Channel.

Penalties raised for driver training slips

Automobile and motorbike driver training centres which issue graduating certificates for trainees without training them properly will not be allowed to enrol new students for six months and directors of the centres will be docked their wages.

The new regulation of the Ministry of Transport is contained in its draft circular of punishment for violating automobile and motorbike driver training centres expected to be submitted for the Government's approval next year. Under the draft circular, driver training centres must use curriculums put out by the Ministry of Transport which ensure the training duration.

The centres must have measures preventing violations of criteria controling enrolment, training, exams, issuing licences and training fee collection and use.

Centres allowed to organise driving tests have to improve their infrastructure and equipment for training and examinations.

The draft circular regulated that if driver training centres did not post their fees in public, centre trainers did not have proper qualifications or driving-school cars did not ensure safety norms, they would receive a warning, suffer enrolment suspension or their training licences would be withdrawn.

Deputy chief inspector of the Ministry of Transport Thach Nhu Sy said a circular issued in 2009 did not suspend violating training centres from enrolment or dock wages of centre directors.

After a number of training centre violations recently, however, the had ministry raised the level of punishment, he said.

During an inspection of 20 random training centres the ministry inspectors discovered many violations.

The Can Tho Vocational School shortened the regulated time for theory lessons from 80-72 hours. At the Viet Duc Vocational School in Lang Son, only 15 per cent of driving-school cars were new whereas it was regulated that 60 per cent of driving-school cars must be new.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre