HCM City approves largest-ever relief package
The People’s Council of Ho Chi Minh City has approved the largest-ever relief package worth over VND7.3 trillion (US$321.3 million) to support people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nguyen Thi Le, Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council, said on September 23 that the package targets more than 7.3 million people of the five groups, regardless of their permanent or temporary residence in the city.
People eligible for the support are members of poor and near-poor households and social policy beneficiaries who are in difficult circumstances; those rendered jobless by the pandemic and their dependents; parents, spouses and children of pensioners, people receiving social allowances due to work capacity loss and social insurance participants who were paid by businesses in August but need financial assistance; and needy migrant workers living in the city. Each of them will receive VND1 million.
Le affirmed that the package will be rolled out publicly and transparently, with simple procedures.
According to the municipal People’s Committee, around 2 million households with more than 6 million people in the country’s biggest economic centre need assistance, of whom nearly 1 million have lost their jobs.
To ensure equality in the work, residential areas will set up working groups to review the list of beneficiaries.
