EFFORTS OF THAI NGUYEN CITY IN REDUCING POVERTY RATE

It can be seen that the gap between rich and poor is increasingly clear in Vietnam in general and in Thai Nguyen province in particular. After 20 years of innovation along with the country, the economy and society of Thai Nguyen city has increased significantly and achieved important developmental milestones. However, along with the development, the gap of rich and poor between segments of the population and the gap between incomes in the urban areas were also extended. In order to impulse the process of industrialization – modernization as well as reduce poverty rate, Thai Nguyen city should implement more essential policies and projects to improve the lives of citizen, as well as impulse the ​​economy of the city for the purpose of sustainable development.

I. Real Situation

According to survey data of the Statistics Department of Thai Nguyen province, in 2001, the city had 3,214 poor households with 5.92%, in 2012 there was 2,322 poor households, with 3.61% (decrease 0.9% compared with 2011), at the end of 2012, the poverty rate of the city is expected approximately 3%. Over 11 years, the city had 6,182 households get out of poverty by the criterion of each stage.

Although over the periods, the city government has set up policies and measures to reduce the poverty rate. However, the results of poverty reduction are not really sustainable; those households jumped out of poverty still faces many difficulties, gain unstable income so the risk of households falling back to poverty is very high. Distance per capita income / person / month between the poor and near-poor households is low, poor households and the average occupies large proportion.

The poverty rate is high due to: End of working age, households with disabled members, with memberswho are entitled to social protection policy, membershave social problems, with members are in dangerously deceases ... are quite large, these are families which are unable to lift themselves out of poverty.

To remove the gap between rich - poor, there should have at least two solutions in parallel:

The first solution: On the side of economy,we should figure out ways to develop the economy in many ways, including how to increase the intelligence and creativeness in industrial, agriculture and serviceproducts,so that they can create more value added, therefore develop the economy and become sustainable growth.

The Second solution: On the side of Society, we should figure out ways to increase wealth in citizen, take care of the social security system, improve the living conditions of poor people, therefore, there should have a special and aggressive policy, which is the way to reduce the growing divide.

II. Implementing Methods

Based on the actual situations and the causes above, Thai Nguyen City has launched many policies and schemes to implement poverty reduction for the city. Typically, in the "poverty alleviation scheme period 2006 - 2010", Thai Nguyen city has achieved encouraging results, with the poverty rate fell from 9.12% (2006) to 2.6% (2010), an average annual decreases of 1-2%, exceeded the target of proposed project (the project goal at the end of 2010 is poverty rate of the city is less than 5%). With practical solutions to reduce poverty, the poverty rate of the city in 5 years has dropped significantly, to 2.6% in 2010. However, in 2011, according to the new standard calculation, the poverty rate of the city has risen 4.53%.

Many safe vegetable models have helped farmers in Thai Nguyen city get out of poverty

From this fact, in August, 2011 , the City Council approved the "alleviation scheme period 2011-2015" (followed by reduction scheme 2006-2010), according to this, each year the city will extract 500 million Vietnam dongs from budget to Policy Bank to increase support liability for the poor and near- poor to borrow to develop the economy, including a number of important measures , such as speed up economic development to create dynamics make poverty reduction programs ; implement well the preferential credit policies, provide extension services - forestry - fishery for the poor , support policies on health, education, social security, remove dilapidated housing, water, implement sanitation projects , projects in agricultural, forestry , fishery, and training projects to reduce poverty and promote the export of labors, the consultancy job and teaching...

With many specific solutions together with experiences in implementing poverty alleviation 2006-2010, Thai Nguyen city hopes to implement successfully the poverty reduction targets for the period 2011-2015: average annual reduction of  0, 5-1%, and strive to 2015 the poverty rate of the city is less than 2%.

III.  Issues raised                                                                

To achieve the objectives of the project, we should focus on resources, strengthening decentralized local, the new policy should support the extended direction objects who are middle income and poor households to cut down poverty; the levels of policy are designed on the principle that the poor are the most preferred, followed by middle income and poor households. The most difficult thing is that the city's financial resources are limited, so the successes of the projects are not really high. The most important thing is to attract investments from domestic and foreign, to promote the development of service industry.

IV. Conclusion

Solving poverty issue is not only to improve the economic of the citizen, but also improves the social issues, especially equality of strata. Therefore, solving the problem of poverty and ensure sustainable development is indispensable of Thai Nguyen city, which aims to make fast, strong and sustainable development.

Refference Documents:

1. Article: "For the purposes of rapid and sustainable poverty reduction", see the website: http://baothainguyen.org.vn/tin-tuc/xa-hoi/vi-muc-tieu-giam-ngheo-nhanh-va-ben-vung-203072-85.html.

2.  http://qlkh.tnu.edu.vn.