The Government’s Program 135, which aims to improve living conditions for rural residents with a particular focus on ethnic minority communities, has proven effective in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. The province has spent over VND1 trillion ($47 million) out of the VND1.5 trillion ($75 million) allocated from the program fund so far on infrastructure, focusing on upgrading rural roads; building schools and medical stations; and setting up irrigation and water supply systems; thus contributing to socio-economic development in the locality. The program also helped ethnic minority groups improve their farming techniques by applying advanced technologies and new cultivation methods, which has boosted their incomes due to higher yields. With an area of more than 15,500km2, Gia Lai is home to more than 1.3 million people. Forty-five percent are ethnic minorities, mainly Bahnar and J’rai. In recent years, the Party and Government paid special attention to improving the living conditions for ethnic minority communities in the Central Highlands, Gia Lai in particular, through enhancing policy and implementing a number of measures. As a result, chronic hunger was eliminated in Gia Lai, and the number of low-income households reduced rapidly. The communities in the locality are connected via roads accessible for cars, busses and trucks. Every village is connected to the national electricity grid, and over 70 percent of households have access to clean water. All the villages have access to schools and medical facilities, with 95 percent of school-age children attending school. (vietnamplus.vn Sept 22)
