The Hanoi People’s Committee launched “Month for the poor and social welfare” in 2020 at a ceremony held at the Hanoi Opera on October 6, Kinh Te & Do Thi reported.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi Nguyen Lan Huong said that 2020 is a difficult and challenging year for Hanoi and Vietnam due to impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue presented gifts to seven underprivileged households in the city. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

However, with the motto “No poor person is left behind,” Fatherland Front Committees at all levels in the capital city have actively disseminated and encouraged local people to continue supporting the underprivileged people, Ms. Huong added.

In the first nine months of this year, the city's fund for the poor raised over VND15 billion (US$645,510). Thanks to the fund, nearly 400 houses for the poor have been built, thousands of underprivileged households have gained access to preferential loans and healthcare services, Ms. Huong stressed.

She appreciated valuable support by organizations and individuals, and called for continued contribution to the city's fund for the poor as well as social welfare programs.

For his part, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh affirmed that in recent years, the capital city has paid special attention to allocating resources for the implementation of poverty reduction and social welfare policies.

The Hanoi mayor cited that if in 2016, the city had more than 65,000 poor households, representing a poverty rate of 3.64%, by the end of 2018, the rate fell to 1.16%, reaching the target two years ahead for the 2016-2020 period.

As of late September 2020, the number of poor households in the capital city accounted for only 0.4%. Some 12 districts, namely Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Tay Ho, Thanh Xuan, Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, Nam Tu Liem, Ha Dong, Dong Anh, Gia Lam and Hoai Duc, reported no poor households.

Thanks to the fund for the poor, disadvantaged people have had decent houses, been provided with tools and capital for production and business, had stable jobs, and gained access to health care, Mr. Ngoc Anh added.

Specially, in the first nine months of 2020, the capital city promptly supported local people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and issued many support policies to help them in disease prevention and life stabilization.

The mayor emphasized that one of key tasks of the 17th city Party Congress is to harmonize economic growth with cultural development, promote social progress and equality, conduct social governance effectively, increase social welfare and the living conditions of local people, as well as reduce the gap between urban and rural areas.