The HCM City administrationtargets limiting the poverty rate below 5.4 percent and unemployment toless than 5 percent this year.

During a meeting on Jan. 6, city leaders also set the targets of per capita GDP of 3,000 USD for this year.

According to the city government, last year poverty reduction policieswere highly successful, supporting many people who lived under thepoverty line.

The deputy head of the city People'sCommittee, Nguyen Thanh Tai, said the city reached its goals byfulfilling its policies on human resources, the environment and otherareas.

For the economy, the city plans to have a GDP growth rate of 12 percent this year, to 24 billion USD.

Export turnover, excluding crude oil exports, will increase 9 percent.The growth of the consumer price index will be kept under 7 percent.

On social issues, the population growth rate will be kept under 1percent and the rate of malnutrition in children under five years of agewill be below 5 percent.

Besides several importantsocio-economic targets, projects for children will also be realised thisyear, as the city has chosen 2011 as the year for children.

The city will conduct a survey on possible entertainment places forchildren and 10 playgrounds in the city's major parks. They are expectedto be built this year.

At the meeting, six groups ofsolutions on the economy, urban development, education, culture,administration reform and national defence were discussed in detail.

According to the chairman of the municipal People's Committee, Le HoangQuan, in 2011 the city will continue to implement measures to speed upits economic restructuring in the direction of services, industry andagriculture.

The city will also focus on measures tostabilise and develop production and business, expand markets, and boostexports and activities of financial services, real estate, securitiesand gold markets.

One of the city's most important tasksthis year will be to reduce the consumer price index, especially for theupcoming Lunar New Year.

At the 9th HCM City PartyCommittee meeting also held the same day, city leaders approved thetarget of growing at 50 percent above the national average over the nextdecade and agreed on the things needed to be done to achieve the goal.

The meeting also discussed the shortcomings in the city's development process and measures to address them.

Growth quality and efficiency remained low while restructuring of theeconomy and reform of the labour sector were proceeding at a snail'space, delegates admitted.

They agreed to prioritise nine areas, including international trade, finance, tourism, real estate, and technology.

Priority will also be given to four key industries - machinery,electronics and IT, chemistry, and food production - which will providevalue addition, they said.

They agreed sustainable development of agriculture was necessary to secure the city's socio-economic growth.

They also agreed to m🐓ake reform of State-owned enterprises moreeffective and create favourable conditions for private businesses tothrive./.