Hanoi launches Month for the Poor in 2020

Hanoi launches Month for the Poor in 2020 (Source: VNA)

Hanoi – The People’s Committee of Hanoi launched the Month for the Poor and Social Welfare in 2020 at a ceremony held at the Hanoi Opera on October 6.

The ceremony was attended by Politburo member and Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Hau A Lenh, and Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh.

At the event, the Fund for the Poor of Hanoi received over 28.2 billion VND (1.2 million USD) from a number of organisations and inpiduals. The organising board also honoured 90 organisations, businesses and inpiduals who have made great contributions to the city’s social welfare activities, and inaugurated 90 Great Unity houses in celebration of the capital city’s 17th Party Congress and the VFF’s 90th traditional day.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi Nguyen Lan Huong said that 2020 is a difficult and challenging year for Hanoi and Vietnam at large due to impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, with the motto of “No poor people left behind,” the all-level Fatherland Fronts of the capital city have actively disseminated and encouraged local people to continue supporting its Fund for the Poor.

In the first nine months of this year, the municipal Fund for the Poor raised over 15 billion VND. Thanks to the mobilised capital, nearly 400 Great Unity houses, including 90 inaugurated this time, have been built, thousands of poor households have gain access to preferential loans, and healthcare services.

She appreciated valuable support by offices, organisations and inpiduals, and called for continued assistance for the municipal Fund for the Poor as well as social welfare programmes.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh affirmed that over the past times, the capital city has paid special attention to directing and allocating resources for the implementation of poverty reduction and social welfare policies.

Implementing the national target programme on sustainable poverty reduction, Hanoi always follows closely policies of the Party Central Committee, the Government and the Prime Minister; has proactively made and issued specialised social policies and prioritised resources to promptly and fully carry out social policies and support rapid and sustainable poverty reduction.

As of late September 2020, the number of poor households in the capital city accounted for only 0.4 percent. Of note, 12 districts, namely Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Tay Ho, Thanh Xuan, Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, Nam Tu Liem, Ha Dong, Dong Anh, Gia Lam and Hoai Duc, reported no poor households, with Cau Giay and Hai Ba Trung also having no near-poor households.

Together with policies of the municipal People’s Committee, the Fatherland Fronts at all levels have carried out a lot of substantial activities to care for and support poor households, people living in difficult circumstances and policy beneficiaries.

Thanks to the Fund of the Poor, poor people have had firm houses, had tools and capital for production and business, had stable jobs, and gained access to health care. Specially, in the first nine months of 2020, the capital city promptly supported local people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and issued many support policies to help them in disease prevention and life stabilisation.

The city leader said that one of key tasks of the 17th municipal Party Congress is to harmonise economic growth with cultural development, promote social progress and equality, conduct social governance effectively, increase social welfare and the living conditions of local people, and reduce the gap between urban and rural areas.

At the launching ceremony, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue presented gifts to seven underprivileged households in the city.