Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has requested the Northwestern
Steering Board and relevant agencies to work out a general
socio-economic development plan and list key projects for investment
that will make the northwestern region thrive.
At a
conference to promote investment and social welfares for the Northwest
in Tuyen Quang province on April 3, Phuc stressed that the region,
situated in a strategic defence, security, and socio-economic location
and endowed with plentiful natural resources, potentially fares well.
Regional localities should protect and expand forests
to bring economic values for their residents and improve the efficiency
of social welfare policies, especially eliminating makeshift houses for
poor ethnic minorities and helping them escape from hunger, he said.
Phuc also asked the Hanoi National University
to liaison with central and local science units to implement the key
State-level sci-tech programmes, promote scientific studies, transfer
technology and develop human resources for regional sustainable
development.
Participants discussed ways to tap the
region’s advantages in agro-forestry, aquaculture, and mineral mining,
develop tourism, especially eco-tourism, and invest in transport
infrastructure, human resources training and technology transfer.
Last year, the region mobilised over 96 trillion VND for development,
including 32.6 trillion VND from the State budget and 10.4 trillion VND
from State enterprises.
By late February, total
foreign investment registered in the region hit 2.47 billion USD and
official development assistance amounted to 2.6 billion USD. The sum was
channeled mainly into agriculture and rural development, poverty
reduction, transport, and education and training.
By late 2012, more than 58,000 households across the region escaped from
poverty thanks to bank loans for production and trading. Nearly 105,000
students living in difficulty gained access to loans to further their
studies.
Over the past five years, banks have
contributed over 1.3 trillion VND (6 million USD) to funds for the poor
in 14 regional provinces. The figure is expected to hit hundreds of
billion VND for social welfares this year.
The
northwestern region covers the provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau,
Dien Bien, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Bac Kan,
Cao Bang, Ha Giang and several western communes in Nghe An and Thanh
Hoa.
At the event, investment certificates were granted to 26 projects capitalising at over 10.6 trillion VND.
An investment deal for 16 projects valued at 16.8 trillion VND (800
million USD) and a credit agreement for 15 projects worth more than 20
trillion VND (950 million USD) were also signed.-VNA