People in flood-prone areas with food supplies. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has just issued a telegram on strengthening the management, allocation and use of national reserve goods to support people in overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, stabilising livelihoods and controlling disease outbreaks after flooding in the central region.

The Telegram No. 226/CĐ-TTg dated November 21 was sent to the ministers of National Defence, Public Security, Finance, Agriculture and Environment, Health; and to the Party secretaries and chairpersons of the people’s committees of centrally governed provinces and cities including Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Trị, Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Ngãi, Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Khánh Hòa and Lâm Đồng.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Finance shall take the lead, in coordination with relevant ministries, agencies and localities, to review national reserve items to ensure that types, quantities and quality can meet urgent and unexpected demands, serving disaster response, rescue and recovery after rain, flooding and landslides.

It also compiles the demand for national reserve goods from localities to promptly decide on allocations for support and relief ensuring rapid, timely and accurate delivery in terms of beneficiaries, types, quantities and quality, reaching affected people as quickly as possible, as well as direct national reserve units to maintain readiness of vehicles and personnel to transport and deliver reserve goods around the clock.

The Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security have to coordinate with relevant ministries, agencies and localities to mobilise forces and means to participate in transporting, safeguarding and distributing national reserve goods to areas isolated or deeply inundated, ensuring security and order during receipt and distribution of relief supplies.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Ministry of Health were requested to consolidate the demand for agricultural and health-related reserve goods from localities to ensure readiness for allocation in accordance with regulations.

The people’s committees of provinces and cities were asked to closely monitor developments of natural disasters, rainfall, flooding and landslides in their areas; proactively report and accurately determine urgent needs for national reserve goods during and after flooding in order to promptly submit proposals to ministries and agencies for consideration and allocation.

They have to organise the reception, management and use of national reserve goods strictly for the right purposes and beneficiaries and direct grassroots authorities to distribute directly to each affected household and resident, with particular attention to poor households, policy-beneficiary families and people in isolated areas, ensuring support is quick, timely, transparent and absolutely free of wrongdoing, losses or waste. — VNS