DECISION No. 133/1998/QD-TTg OF JULY 23, 1998 RATIFYING THE NATIONAL TARGET PROGRAM ON HUNGER ELIMINATION AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN THE 1998-2000 PERIOD

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government of September 30, 1992;

Pursuant to Decision No. 5/1998/QD-TTg of January 14, 1998 of the Prime Minister on the management of the national target programs;

At the proposals of the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Minister of Planning and Investment,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To ratify the "national target program on hunger elimination and poverty alleviation in the 1998-2000 period", that includes the sedentarization and support for ethnic minority people facing fierce difficulties, aimed to create favorable and suitable conditions for the poor to develop production, increase incomes, eliminate hunger and alleviate poverty.

The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall act as the standing body to assist the Government in the execution of the program.

1. The program's objectives:

The national target program on hunger elimination and poverty alleviation in the 1998-2000 period is an overall and inter-branch program, included in the national socio-economic development strategy, aimed to reduce the percentage of hungry and poor family households in the whole country to 10% by the year 2000.

2. Scope of the program:

The program shall be implemented nationwide. In the first years, priority shall be given to poor and particularly difficult communes in high-land, border, island, deep-lying and remote areas.

3. Contents and activities of the program:

The program on hunger elimination and poverty alleviation shall include the following projects:

a/ Investment project on infrastructure construction (excluding the rural clean water supply) and population rearrangement;

b/ Project in support of production and the development of branches and crafts;

c/ Project in support of credits for the poor;

d/ Project in support of education;

e/ Project in support of public health;

f/ Project on guidance for the poor to earn their living and promote agricultural, forestrial and fishery production;

g/ Project on raising qualifications of the contingent of cadres engaged in the hunger elimination and poverty alleviation work and cadres in poor communes;

h/ Projects on sedentarization, migration and new economic zones;

i/ Project in support of ethnic minority people facing fierce difficulties.

4. Implementation period: 3 years (1998-2000).

5. Total investment capital and capital sources:

The total investment capital is estimated at 10,000 billion VND, covering the following sources:

- The State budget;

- International cooperation;

- Other sources.

Annually, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall, on the basis of the budget capability, allocate enough capital for the achievement of the program's objectives.

Article 2.- On organization of implementation:

The national target program on hunger elimination and poverty alleviation shall operate under the inter-branch mechanism. The division of responsibilities among the concerned ministries and branches is effected as follows:

1. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs:

- To act as the standing body to assist the Government in coordinating with the relevant ministries, branches and localities to implement the national target program on hunger elimination and poverty alleviation;

- To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Commission on Nationalities and Mountainous Areas and the relevant ministries and branches in determining poor communes according to the order of priority and guiding the localities to formulate concrete projects for submission and ratification according to the current regulation on the management of investment and construction, and at the same time, urging and inspecting the implementation of the projects after they are approved by the competent level;

- To coordinate with the Bank for the Poor in allocating credit capital along the direction of giving priority to high-land, border, island, deep-lying and remote areas;

- To coordinate with the ministries, branches and mass organizations in guiding the ways of earning their living for poor people who are provided with loan capital so that they use such capital for the right purposes and in an efficient manner;

- To coordinate with the Commission on Nationalities and Mountainous Areas and localities in raising the qualifications of the contingent of cadres engaged in the hunger elimination and poverty alleviation work and cadres of poor communes defined in Point g, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision.

2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development:

- To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries, branches and localities in managing and organizing the implementation of the project on sedentarization, migration and economic zones mentioned in Point h, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision;

- To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the General Land Administration, concerned ministries and branches in organizing the implementation of the project in support of production and development of branches and crafts for poor family households mentioned in Point b, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision;

- To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the concerned branches in organizing the agricultural- forestrial and fishery promotion for the poor family households covered by the project specified in Point f, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision.

3. The Commission on Nationalities and Mountainous Areas:

- To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries, branches and localities in organizing the implementation of the project in support of the ethnic minority people facing difficulties as mentioned in Point i, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision;

- To coordinate with the Ministry of Communications and Transport, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Industry and the localities in organizing the implementation of the project on investment in infrastructure construction and population rearrangement mentioned in Point a, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision;

- To coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in training cadres for poor high-land communes.

4. The Ministry of Planning and Investment:

- To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in balancing State-budget funds allocated to the ratified component projects of the program, then submit them to the Prime Minister for assigning norms to the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government in their annual plans;

- To coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the concerned ministries and branches in guiding the localities to incorporate other relevant programs into the national target program on hunger elimination and poverty alleviation on the same territory, from the process of planning to the process of directing the implementation.

5. The Ministry of Finance:

- To coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment in determining the sources of State budget capital for annual investment in the program;

- To provide guidance on the mechanism of financial management over capital sources mobilized for the program;

- To guide and organize the full and prompt allocation of capital according to the ratified estimates and objectives.

6. The State Bank of Vietnam:

To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches in organizing the implementation of projects on credits for the poor as mentioned in Point c, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision.

7. The Ministry of Education and Training:

To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches in organizing the implementation of the project in support of education as mentioned in Point d, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision.

8. The Ministry of Health:

To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches in organizing the implementation of the project in support of public health as mentioned in Point e, Clause 3, Article 1 of this Decision.

Article 3.- The Managerial Board of the national target program on hunger elimination and poverty alleviation shall manage the program in accordance with the provisions of Decision No. 531-TTg of August 8, 1996 of the Prime Minister on the management of the national programs and Decision No. 5/1998/QD-TTg of January 14, 1998 on the management of the national target programs.

The program's Managerial Board and the ministries and branches being project owners shall have to coordinate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the mass organizations in organizing the implementation of this program.

Article 4.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its signing.

Article 5.- The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government, the presidents of the People's Committees of the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government that have projects included in this program shall have to implement this Decision.

Prime Minister

PHAN VAN KHAI