New Year gifts for needy people
Ha Noi, Jan. 11 (VNA) -- The State, local administrations and mass organisations have helped social welfare beneficiaries and needy people to prepare for the coming lunar new year (Tet) festival which will fall on Jan. 24 this year.
President Tran Duc Luong has signed a decision to present Tet gifts to beneficiaries of social policies nationwide.
The Viet Nam Red Cross has launched a "Tet for the poor and Agent Orange victims" drive and provided VND 500 million (USD 34,500) to 24 provinces, mainly in mountainous regions, to help needy people. It organized visits to particularly-difficult households to present each with VND 300,000.
The Viet Nam Society for Support of the Handicapped and Orphans has presented Tet gifts totally worth more than VND 40 million to handicapped people and orphans in the provinces of Ha Tinh, Lai Chau, Vinh Long, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Phu Yen, Kon Tum and Hai Phong.
The Lao Dong newspaper has raised a fund of more than VND 360 million to help poor workers and farmers, especially those who were affected by the recent flood in the Mekong delta.
The Ha Noi capital has decided to present New Year gifts, each worth VND 150,000 to all Hero Mothers and war invalids. Meanwhile, revolutionary veterans and families of fallen combatants will receive VND 120,000 each.
Ho Chi Minh City has spent billions of Vietnamese dong to provide social welfare beneficiaries including families credited with great services to the nation and households classified as poor.
The central city of Da Nang has spent VND 1.4 billion on buying New Year gifts to 21,000 beneficiaries of social policies in the city.
Other localities, including Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, have decided to allocate some budget to help poor people celebrate Tet holidays.--VNA
