Hà Nội authorities present a gift to a social welfare beneficiary family in the city. Photo hanoimoi.com.vn

 HÀ NỘI  - Hà Nội's government has met its goal for reducing poverty and ensuring social security in 2016-2020, basically ensuring no communes and villages are in extremely poor conditions.

The city has completed poverty reduction targets two years earlier than scheduled and the number of households with decent incomes is increasing

Poor households in Hà Nội accounted for 3.64 per cent of the total in 2016 and the rate was reduced to 0.42 per cent as of June this year. Currently, only 8,754 households in Hà Nội are classified as poor.

The city’s government considers reducing poverty and ensuring social security as a key socio-economic development task, so has issued many specific mechanisms and policies for poverty reduction.

So far, poverty has been eradicated in eight districts of Hà Nội.

According to an official of the city’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, over the past time, many districts and towns in the city have taken solutions to perform economic development tasks and build new-style rural areas to reduce poverty.

Every month, the city provides financial support to elderly people who can’t look after themselves and those with serious health conditions who can’t work. Every year, the city provides loans via the Bank for Social Policies to help poor households and people with disabilities develop businesses.

Housing for the poor is granted or repaired with the city’s support. During 2016-2020, the city has either built or repaired 7,565 houses for poor families. More than 75,000 people who are beneficiaries of social policies have received vocational training. Along with this, these disadvantaged groups have also been supported with preferential loans worth up to VNĐ2.4 trillion.

Poverty reduction targets achieved two years earlier than scheduled

Although the State budget must be spread around many socio-economic fields, the capital still gives priority to improving quality of life and municipal social security policies have become increasingly comprehensive.

In recent years, the city has paid a monthly allowance to more than 192,000 social policy beneficiaries (with a total budget of some VNĐ1 trillion a year). More than 2,700 elder, people with disabilities, homeless people and poor children have been taken care of at social protection centres.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city has provided financial support to more than 500,000 affected people to the tune of VNĐ600 billion.

Deputy Director of the Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Hà Nội Hoàng Thành Thái said that Hà Nội would continue to devote resources to sustainable poverty reduction, ensuring social security for all people with a focus on paying attention to disadvantaged groups, ethnic minorities and people in remote areas.

Along with reviewing poor households lists, localities must be more flexible in providing support for households to suit the characteristics of each locality and family.

“With these drastic solutions, the poverty reduction and social security causes of the capital have been achieving many positive results. This helps promote the spirit of solidarity, the strength of the political system and the whole society, who are joining hands for the poor and not leaving anyone behind during the development cause,” Thái said. VNS