A package worth 62 trillion VND (2.66 billion USD) has been implemented to support those affected by the pandemic, which is an unprecedented decision by the Government. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Party and the State have pursued a consistent policy of ensuring social welfare for people, as reflected through a raft of Party documents, National Assembly resolutions, strategies, plans, projects and programmes of the Government.

Social welfare activities have been rolled out in different sectors, from health care to education, insurance, employment and poverty reduction.

In 2020 when millions of labourers were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and natural disasters battered many provinces and cities, the Party and the State adopted multiple countermeasures.

The Party and the State consistently protected human rights and people’s health and lives with strong and humanitarian policies and decisions. Meanwhile, the Government proposed the legislature issue solutions and fiscal policies to remove difficulties in production, business and social welfare.

Notably, a package worth 62 trillion VND (2.66 billion USD) has been implemented to support those affected by the pandemic, which is an unprecedented decision by the Government.

Of the funding, about 12.9 trillion VND had been disbursed as of late 2020, benefiting nearly 12,000 people and over 30,000 household businesses.

Insurance coverage has also been expanded, with the rate of labourers joining social insurance growing around 32.7 percent last year, and up to 90.7 percent of the national population covered by health insurance.

The number of poor households dropped from 9.88 percent in late 2015 to only below 3 percent in 2020, statistics showed.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently affirmed that the Government will make continuous efforts in poverty reduction, especially in rural, mountainous and ethnic minority-inhabited areas.

He also pledged to facilitate the building of affordable houses and cultural facilities at industrial parks, while increasing health insurance coverage, particularly for children, the elderly, and those in difficult circumstances.

“People should be placed at the centre of all polices and decisions,” the leader stressed.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong has also emphasised that the Party and the State exerted efforts to ensure social progress and equality, with attention paid to sustainability of population and development policies./.

VNA