A poverty reduction project targeting the Central Highlands and central coastal region was launched at a conference in Gia Lai province on May 29. The launching ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dao Quang Thu and World Bank Country Director in Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa. With a total capital of $165 million borrowed from the WB, the project will be carried out in the four Central Highland provinces of Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Dak Nong, and two central coastal localities of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai from now to 2019. The project aims to increase locals’ living conditions through the improvement of their livelihoods and infrastructure. After six years of implementation, it will benefit about 540,000 people in disadvantaged areas. Deputy Minister Thu stated that this is the largest-scale poverty reduction project in the regions, and as such it is expected to importantly contribute to the country’s socio-economic development. A similar project is also being implemented in the northern region. At the conference, WB experts discussed social welfare policies and proposed measures to inspect the project during its implementation. (vietnamplus.vn May 29)
