Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to provide an additional 4,995 tons of rice from the national reserves for hunger relief in five provinces, the government said on its website late Thursday. Of the sum, the northern province of Yen Bai will receive 1,500 tons of rice, the northern province of Ha Giang will get 1,345 tons while the northern province of Lao Cai and the central highlands provinces of Kon Tum and Giai Lai will get 500, 1,450 and 200 tons, respectively. Beneficiaries are poor households in drought-stricken provinces – those who are in need and those who have suffered losses. The PM has asked local authorities to properly use the rice and submit report to the Ministries of Finance and Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. Earlier, the prime minister has also decided to allocate more than 37,500 tones of rice to the needy people in 14 provinces of Dien Bien, Son La, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Tri, Ninh Binh, Yen Bai and Ninh Thuan. (baodientu.chinhphu.vn May 12, bee.net.vn May 13)
