The southern province of Binh Phuoc aims to assist ten of 21 targetedcommunes to meet all 19 criteria of the national programme on buildingmodern rural areas this year.

In order to meet this target,the province plans to mobilise various resources to accelerateimplementation of the programme, which is estimated to cost more than3.75 trillion VND (178.67 million USD).

Binh Phuoc officialsintend to integrate the programme with other locally implementedprojects, and to make use of other resources including land use rightauctions, rental charges, and the local budget.

Four yearspost-commencement, the programme has helped raise the 2014 per capitaincome to 39 million VND (1,860 USD) – up 210 percent from 2010 –,reduce the impoverished household rate from 6.51 percent to 3.5 percent,and improve local infrastructure facilities and social services.

One commune within the province was recognised as a new modern ruralarea in 2014. Binh Phuoc intends to assist ten additional communes tosatisfy at least 15 criteria in 2015, if not all 19.

Lastyear, as many as 785 communes were estimated to become new-style ruralareas. In addition, 1,285 communes were expected to meet 15-18 out ofthe 19 criteria for new rural development, and 2,836 others to satisfy10-14 criteria, according to the programme’s steering committee.

More than 157.8 trillion VND (8.5 billion USD), sourced from theState budget, credits, and the community, was spent on implementing theprogramme.

Building infrastructure, improvingproduction capacity, constructing public works, protecting the landscapeand environment, and promoting local traditions and cultural identitiesare among the criteria of the programme, initiated by the Government in2010.-VNA