HCM CITY —  Support for beneficiaries of special policies, including heroic martyrs, is being continued this year, with increases in funding for people in need, the deputy chairwoman of the city’s People’s Committee has said.

Speaking on the occasion of the annual 70th Day for War Invalids and Martyrs (July 27), Nguyễn Thị Thu said the city’s Party, State and residents continued to support citizens who had contributed to national independence.

Since the beginning of the year, the city has spent more than VNĐ42 billion (US$1.84 million) to care for war invalids and martyrs’ families, she said.

The city has more than 271,000 policy beneficiaries, including 5,184 Vietnamese heroic mothers, according to the city’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

On the occasion, Nhà Bè District’s People’s Committee on July 17 held medical examinations for local policy beneficiary families and presented gifts.

Lê Thị Ánh Tuyết, head of Củ Chi District’s Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Office, said besides providing monthly allowances, the district has offered preferential policies to policy beneficiaries, including health insurance, healthcare services and reduced fees for education.

The district has also spent around VNĐ160 billion ($7 million) upgrading and repairing cemeteries, graves of martyrs and heroic monuments.

A representative of District 9’s Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Office said the district has about 1,560 policy beneficiaries receiving monthly allowances.

Thủ Đức District’s two former communes of Hiệp Bình and Tam Bình have been awarded the title “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces”. The district has more than 2,800 policy beneficiaries receiving monthly allowances.

Support measures

City authorities at all levels have helped policy beneficiaries escape poverty and improve living standards.

Nguyễn Thị Út, head of Nhà Bè District’s Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Office, said the district authorities had introduced them to jobs, provided loans, and granted scholarships to students from poor families.

District 9 authorities have also renovated or built gratitude houses, provided low-interest loans, vocational training, introduced many policy beneficiaries to jobs and offered special policies on education and healthcare.

In Củ Chi District, mass organisations have supported a total of 115 poor households to help them increase their incomes.

Mai Thị Xuân Hồng, head of the Thủ Đức District’s Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Office, said "Since last year, the district has renovated 25 gratitude houses, and offered land and built new gratitude houses for three policy beneficiaries facing difficulties.”

The deputy chairwoman of the district’s People’s Committee, Nguyễn Thị Kim Thúy, said the district had asked the city’s People’s Committee to help them raise funds to build gratitude houses for an amount higher than the VNĐ60 million ($2,636) currently given per family.

Nguyễn Thị Thu, deputy chairwoman of the city’s People’s Committee, said that by the end of the year the city would complete all files that request recognition of martyrs, war invalids and policy beneficiaries.

She said the city would continue to support the policy beneficiaries facing difficulties, search for the remains of martyrs, and identify remains of unknown martyrs. — VNS