Tra Vinh (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh is making abeeline for sustainable poverty reduction, aiming to cut the rate ofimpoverished households in the locality by 2.5 percent by the end of this year.

Developing infrastructure in special disadvantaged communes, supportingaccommodations and fresh water for ethnic households as well as helpingdeprived families branch out production and improve livelihoods are among itsefforts to realise the set target.

Director of the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social AffairsNguyen Van Ut said that the province is splashing out over 7.4 billion VND (325,600USD) on infrastructure development in seven poor coastal communes and 1.9billion VND (83,600 USD) on production models.

Another amount of 47 billion VND (2.06 million USD) is being disbursed toprovide accommodations for 1,880 poor households, he added.

Between now and the year-end, the department will work with local chapter ofthe Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to provide loans of 4.4 billion VND (193,600USD) for poor labourers to work abroad. To date, the bank has disbursed over186 billion VND (8.2 million USD) to help nearly 11,000 poor and near poorhouseholds and those escaping from poverty develop production.

In addition, poor families in the province have been assisted to payelectricity bills, health insurance and tuition fees.

Tra Vinh still has over 30,000 deprived households, accounting for 11 percentof total families. Its household poverty rate has dropped 2 percent from2015.-VNA