Vietnamese State President Truong Tan Sang has urged local authorities in the northern province of Phu Tho to expand its economic development models and mobilize all resources to reduce poverty. The president made the call during his trip to Xuan Dai commune in Tan Son district on Oct 16 as part of activities for the Month for the Poor [October 17-November 18]. Xuan Dai is one of the poorest communes in the district and is listed among the 62 poorest communes nationwide with the poverty rate of 43.3% of households last year. Four out of 14 residential areas also have no get access to national electricity grid. At the meeting with President Sang, local residents in Xuan Dai expressed their profound gratitude for the Party and State’s attention, expecting that the state will continue providing financial supports to help the commune develop infrastructure and social welfare projects. Sang hailed Xuan Dai’s efforts in poverty production while calling on the commune to draw on its ten years of experience in implementing the “Day for the Poor” campaign aiming to reduce poverty rapidly and effectively in the coming times. During his visit, President Sang also visited a number of families of social policy beneficiaries and disadvantaged households there. In the first six months of 2011, Xuan Dai joined hands with the Bank for Social Policy in Tay Son district to lend poor households a total of more than VND8.67 billion ($416,800) to help them develop production. (baodientu.chinhphu.vn, vov.vn Oct 16, Ha Noi Moi – New Hanoi Oct 17 p1)
