SÓC TRĂNG — Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ, who is also head of the South West Steering Committee, yesterday called on authorities in Mekong Delta provinces to do more to reduce poverty, especially among ethnic minorities.

He instructed them to closely implement the measures prescribed by the Government’s resolution No.1 on socio-economic development and others to improve the business climate, help enterprises create jobs and step up agricultural production and aquatic breeding by applying modern technologies.

He assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work with Cambodian authorities to solve neccessary procedures for Vietnamese people who live in Cambodia to ensure that they will have a stable and legal life there.

He was speaking at a conference held in Sóc Trăng Province to discuss socio-economic development, including security and settlement of Vietnamese returning from Cambodia.

The south-west is home to many ethnic minorities while its infrastructure is limited.

Poverty and near-poverty rates here are still high, especially in areas with ethnic minorities and along the border.

Sơn Minh Thắng, deputy head of the South West Steering Committee, said local authorities had taken measures to ensure ethnic minorities’comprehensive development.

As a result, the poverty rate in ethnic minority areas in the region fell from more than 33 per cent to 13 per cent between 2011 and 2015, he said.

"There are more than 19,000 ethnic Party members while seven have been elected to the National Assembly, according to the official.

Electricity for Khmer families

Electricity of Việt Nam’s Southern Power Corporation has wrapped up a five-year-long project to instal a 2,000km medium- and low-voltage grid to provide electricity to 45,322 Khmer families in the delta province of Sóc Trăng.

The corporation yesterday held a ceremony to mark its completion.

The VNĐ368 billion (US$16.3 million) project will help increase the number of people with access to electricity in the province to more than 98 per cent besides bringing all the attendant benefits.

Huỳnh Minh Hải, head of the Sóc Trăng Power Company, said the company carried out projects to supply electricity to rural areas from the national grid.

It hopes to provide electricity to everyone in the province by 2020. —VNS