Ho Chi Minh City: Spending over 900 billion VND on preparation for the Lunar New Year of the Dragon in 2024

DNHN - The estimated budget for planning events for the Lunar New Year of the Dragon in 2024 is 915,097,295,000 VND, an increase of about 3.9% compared to 2023, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

This is allocated from the City’s budget, mainly due to the increase in the number of meritorious people, retired cadres, elderly people in difficult circumstances, children in extremely difficult circumstances and social protection subjects.

According to Ms Huynh Le Như Trang - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the new point in the work of caring for Tet in 2024 compared to 2023 is that the City will visit 65 non-public social protection facilities, associations and funds; 12 units and organisations that are partners in supporting and caring for women, children and people in extremely difficult circumstances in the City (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); International Labour Organisation (ILO); City’s Association for the Protection of Children, etc.).

Support 21,422 poor households (including poor households recognised at the beginning of 2023, poor households added regularly and periodically in 2023 (including near-poor households that became poor households at the end of 2023), with a support level of 1,250,000 VND/household; at the same time, coordinate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front of the City to plan to care for and support 18,209 near-poor households (including near-poor households recognised at the beginning of 2023, near-poor households added in 2023), with a support level of 1,000,000 VND/household.

In addition, the Department of Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs will strengthen coordination with the City’s Social Policy Bank and districts, Thu Duc City to promote consulting, supporting preferential loans from the Poverty Reduction Loan Fund, the Employment Resolution Loan Fund, combined with organising the presentation of means of livelihood for poor households and near-poor households to put into production and business, livestock, cultivation, preparing for Tet activities, contributing to increasing income and stabilising life; at the same time, taking care of the health insurance policy for households in the Poverty Reduction Programme right from the beginning of 2024 to ensure that there is no interruption, affecting the examination and treatment of household members (especially members who are undergoing dialysis, cancer, incurable diseases, etc.).

Through the activities of caring for the Lunar New Year of the Dragon in 2024, the City not only provides material support to the poor, poor households and households in difficult circumstances but also organises many spiritual activities for the City’s residents to welcome the joyful Lunar New Year, towards the new year of the Dragon in 2024, the City strives to achieve many new achievements in socio-economic development, contributing to the completion of the City’s sustainable poverty reduction programme in 2024, gradually improving the living standards, living conditions and quality of life of the poor and the City’s residents, building Ho Chi Minh City as a City “With good quality of life, civilised, modern and affectionate”.

Uyen Nhi