The southern province of Dong Nai will set aside over VND2.5 trillion ($117.8 million) from its budget in 2015-2020 to help poor households have better access to health care, credit, education, housing and employment opportunities. Of the approved sum, over VND420 billion ($19.7 million) will be used annually to support the households. According to Vice Director of the provincial Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, Lam Duy Tin, the current 7,000 poor households account for 1 percent of the province’s total. The number is forecast to grow to 55,000 in 2015, or 7% of the total, in accordance with new classifications. Meanwhile, 23,000 other households are foreseen to live near the poverty line, Tin said. Under a resolution of the provincial People’s Committee, in the 2015-2020 period a household with each member earning below VND1 million a month in rural areas and below 1.2 million VND in urban areas is classified as poor. Between 2011 and 2014, over 10,000 households god rid of poverty a year. (vietnamplus.vn Oct 27)
