VietNamNet Bridge – The poverty rate of ethnic minority groups has plummeted eight percentage points over the past five years, with poverty rate of H’Mong ethnic people tumbling 24.3 points, but the rate is still high, according to a report made public last week.

llustrative image. (Photo: Internet)

The report announced by the National Assembly’s Ethnic Committee in Hanoi last Friday provides an insight into the impacts of the 135 Program in the second phase in 2006-2010. This program’s second phase is an important socioeconomic development and poverty reduction program of the Government.

According to the report, the common poverty rate among many local minority groups has considerably shrunk, from 57.2% in 2007 to 49.2% in 2012. H’Mong, Nung and Tay are the three groups with the most impressive poverty reduction, with H’Mong recording a poverty rate of 59.2% in 2012 from 83.5% in 2007.

Poverty reduction is largely thanks to income increases, but the increase has been decelerating. In addition, poverty reduction in communes of the 135 Program’s second phase is yet to be sustainable as the ratio of households that has fallen into poverty again has still remained high, at 14.3%.

Incomes of households have surged about 20% in the last five years but the rate is still much lower than the national average level of some 50%. Poorer households have a lower income growth than other well-to-do households and the gap between the two categories is widening.

Clean water has still remained a serious problem. Only 13% of ethnic minority groups have tap water while the access rate nationwide was 27% in 2010.

In the meantime, access to electricity of communes in the program has been improved substantially, rising from 68.6% in 2007 to 83.6% in 2012.

Living quality of households in the program has changed for the better which is evident via the rising ratio of households having durable items.

Some 70.9% of the households have at least one mobile phone in 2012 while nearly 70% of the households have televisions. The ratio of households owning motorbikes has jumped to 66.2% from 43.8%.

The report was compiled from a survey of 6,000 households in 400 communes in the most poverty-stricken areas in 42 provinces.

The NA Ethnic Committee made the report after the two surveys, one in 2007 and the other in 2012.

Source: SGT