The Prime Minister has approved a project on granting free radio sets to village elders and grassroots officials in mountainous areas, areas inhabited by ethnic minority communities, and border and disadvantaged regions. The project will be carried out on a pilot basis in 10 provinces in the northwest, central highlands, central coast and southwest regions. The beneficiary provinces are Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Nghe An, Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Dak Nong, Ninh Thuan, Tra Vinh and Kien Giang. Those who are targeted by the project include village heads, village elders and religious dignitaries in disadvantaged villages, along with heads of Party committees, women’s unions, youth unions, war veterans’ associations, farmers’ unions, Vietnam Fatherland Front chapters, and officials dealing with legal matters and information. Border guard stations and border guard officials sent to work in border communes in the said provinces will also receive radio sets under the project. The project aims to facilitate the popularization of the Party’s guidance and the State’s policies and laws in general and policies on ethnic groups in particular, thus helping raise local understanding and consensus and contributing to maintaining political stability in mountainous and ethnic minority areas. Vietnam is home to 54 ethnic groups, with the Viet (Kinh) people accounting for 87% of the country’s population. The other 53 ethnic minority groups are scattered over mountainous areas from the north to the south. (english.vov.vn Nov 28)
