Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc speaks at a meeting with leaders of Thừa Thiên-Huế Province on Sunday. — VNA/VNS Photo Tường Vi

THỪA THIÊN - HUẾ — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc asked authorities in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province to make preparations in order to ensure sufficient Tết ( Lunar New Year) holidays for local residents, especially poor people, policy beneficiaries and those living in natural disaster-prone and disadvantaged areas.

During a working visit to the central province on Sunday, Phúc said the financial assistance must go along with taking care of spiritual lives of local people through entertainment activities and festivals.

The PM asked the locality to store up commodities and stabilise prices to ensure provision during the holiday which will fall in early February.

The local authorities must manage transport operation to serve travelling demands of people while ensuring traffic, fire safety and stepping up supervision on trade fraud and smuggling.

Phan Ngọc Thọ, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said more than 33,000 presents from the President would be delivered to policy beneficiaries. The total value of commodities reserved for the holiday has reached up to VNĐ1.3 trillion (US$55.3 million).

Expressing impressions on achievements that the province gained in 2018, PM Phúc noted the needs to focus on green city development, heritage preservation, mechanics, hi-tech agriculture and tourism services. In particular, the province must pay attention to building local e-government by developing smart city services which serve as a key foundation to accelerate administrative procedure reform.

The province proposed the PM allocate budget for provincial planning and allow the locality to hire foreign consultants for the 2021-30 planning with a vision to 2050.

Chairman Thọ also proposed the Government prioritise sources of State budget and investment on the construction of a bridge over Hương River.

On the same day, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân visited Xuân Quan and Mễ Sở communes of Văn Giang District in northern Hưng Yên Province where local people switched from traditional rice cultivation to flowers and ornamental tree plantation and have reaped profits.

Ngân asked local authorities to continue assistance and create favourable conditions for local people so they can get access to advanced technology and learn from the experience of other countries in order to create profitable products as well as connect to production chains within and out of the province. — VNS