Some of the proposals were raised by the Government Committee for Ethnic Minorities at a plenary meeting held by the National Assembly’s Council on Ethnic Minorities on September 22. Most concerned the State budget, new and updated policies and adequate human resources to realise the 2010 programme. 

The committee also asked the NA to step up its supervision of the introduction of policies on ethnic minority people amongst the ministries, branches and in local provincial administrations. 

The committee reported that the Government’s biggest programme for the poor, programme 135, was allocated a budget of almost VND3.73 trillion for its second phase in 2009, to invest in 1,799 villages in difficult circumstances. 

By September, 40 percent of the budget has been disbursed, partially to subsidise transportation costs and the prices of essential products for ethnic minorities in 36 out of 43 provinces. Poor ethnic minority people in the 30 targeted provinces were also provided with credit to boost production in the first half of the year.