The Steering Committee for the Central Highlands said the regional provinces have worked together to mobilize nearly VND3.8 trillion ($177.1 million) to improve infrastructure and production in impoverished ethnic-minority communities. This financial assistance has been sourced from Program 135, a multi-phase national strategy on poverty alleviation targeting impoverished and mountainous communes which has produced a number of positive outcomes. As many as 92 communes have elevated their socioeconomic status as a result of their participation and completion of the program’s first two phases. Currently, 100% of targeted communes have elementary school facilities, including roads connecting to their locations, 80% have secondary schools, and 70% have a radio broadcast station. The program has also established 245 irrigation and 141 electricity projects in disadvantaged areas. In a bid to improve livelihoods and local household production, 354,502 tones of seeds and 17.2 million saplings, as well as 40,264 tools and pieces of equipment for production and processing in the agro-forestry-fisheries sector, were made available in needy areas of the region through this state support. A major priority of the poverty alleviation efforts has also been to develop effective agro-forestry-fisheries production and organize annual vocational training courses for locals. Moving forward, the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands has proposed the Government raise the investment dedicated to each impoverished regional commune under Program 135 from VND1.5 billion to VND2.5 billion – VND3 billion annually. The Tay Nguyen Central Highlands region is comprised of five provinces - Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong. (vietnamplus.vn Jan 9)
