According to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, there are 61 districts nationwide having a high rate of poor households (50%). Most of these districts are located in mountainous and ethnic minority areas, far from economic centers and transport hubs, which regularly suffer unpredictable floods and natural calamities. Many poor families only earn an income per capita of VND 2.5 million (US $150) per year.

To quickly improve the material and spiritual life for this group of population, members of the Government agreed to amend and supplement some policies; map out specific plans and solutions to promote production, job generation, and infrastructure development for the poor districts.

PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng urged to outline the roadmap and breakthrough measures to fruitfully carry out poverty reduction in 61 poorest districts.

The Government chief stressed the necessity to improve the living standards for poor households by 2010.

During the meeting, the Cabinet members also discussed the draft national strategy on anti-corruption to 2020, emphasizing such targets as minimizing possibilities of corruption in the policy making, building and enforcing laws, building effective and transparent administration, creating an equal and transparent business environment, improving the inspection, auditing, supervision work in discovering corruption cases, and raising the public awareness of anti-corruption.

The Government also agreed to amend Article 10 of the Ordinance on Population and Article 6 of the Ordinance on Resource Tax.

According to the revised Article 10 of the Ordinance on Population, each couple and individual will have the right to decide their child-birth suitable to their age, health and working conditions, and income. The Government also drafted some regulations on the cases in which a couple can have more than two children.

By Xuân Hồng