The figure was revealed by chairman of the National Assembly Council of Ethnic Minorities Trang A Pao at a conference to launch the programme's second phase in Hanoi on September 6.

The sum will be invested in more than 1,600 communes and almost 2,500 villages.

In the first phase of the programme, which was carried out in seven years, about US$625 million was spent on the construction of over 25,000 essential projects, helping to markedly improve people's lives, especially in rural and mountainous areas.

The programme has helped relocated 120,000 households and train 217,000 local officials to carry out projects under the programme.