Over VND170 billion raised to conduct social welfare work in Central Highlands

The Central Highlands Steering Committee on May 17^th worked with the State Bank of Vietnam and the People’s Committee of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to organise an art performance entitled “Aspiration of high mountains”, in which over VND170 billion was donated for social welfare in the Central Highlands region.

Photo: vtv.vn

Speaking during the performance, General, Tran Dai Quang, a Politburo member, Minister of Public Security and Head of the Central Highlands Steering Committee said that the performance was one of programs introducing and promoting the image, potential, strength, human and specific cultural characteristics of the region.

Being aware that assisting the poor is the responsibility of the whole political system and people, over the past years, social welfare work has received active participation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, unions, domestic and foreign enterprises and communities. As a result, hundreds of thousands of poor families have overcome difficulties and stabilised their lives.

However, according to General Quang, hundreds of thousands more poor families are in need of educational, vocational training, healthcare and housing support, which makes the central and local budget as well as other sources of preferential loans unaffordable. Therefore, greater support is needed in education, healthcare, poverty reduction, housing and natural disaster mitigation in the region, in order to facilitate poor families, especially those from ethnic minorities to have stable lives and production.

Statistics from the Central Highlands steering committee show that since 2011, over VND147 trillion has been invested in the region, making the traffic infrastructure, irrigation, healthcare, education and production system much improved, boosting sustainable socio-economic development, reinforcing defence and security, and raising people’s spiritual and material wellbeing. However, the investment is said not to satisfy the consequential demand from development. Consequently, the Central Highlands region contributes only 4.5% of GDP of the whole country and is less wealthy than other localities./.

( Compiled by VNF )