Decision No. 59/2015/QD-TTg dated November 19, 2015, promulgating multidimensional poverty levels applicable during 2016-2020

DECISION

PROMULGATING MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY LEVELS APPLICABLE DURING 2016-2020

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the National Assembly's Resolution No. 76/2014/QH13 of June 24, 2014, on accelerated achievement of the sustainable poverty reduction goal by 2020;

In performance of the tasks assigned by the Government in Resolution No. 79/NQ-CP of November 4, 2015, on the Government’s October 2015 regular meeting;

At the proposal of the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs,

The Prime Minister promulgates multidimensional poverty levels applicable during 2016-2020.

Article 1. Norms for multidimensional poverty measuring applicable during 2016-2020

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a/ Poverty level: VND 700,000/person/month and VND 900,000/person/month in rural and urban areas, respectively;

b/ Near-poverty level: VND 1,000,000/person/month and VND 1,300,000/person/month in rural and urban areas, respectively.

2. Norms on deprivation of access to basic social services

a/ Basic social services (5 services): health; education; housing; clean water and sanitation; and information;

b/ Indicators measuring die level of deprivation of access to basic social services (10 indicators): access to medical services; health insurance; education level of adults; school attendance of children; housing quality; average housing area per capita; residential water sources; hygienic latrines and toilets; telecom services; and assets to serve information access.

Article 2. Levels of poor households, near-poor households and medium households applicable during 2016-2020

1. Poor household

a/ In rural areas: is the one that satisfies either of the two following norms:

- Having a monthly per capita income of VND 700,000 or lower;

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b/ In urban areas: is the one that satisfies either of the two following norms:

- Having a monthly per capita income of VND 900,000 or lower;

- Having a monthly per capita income of between over VND 900,000 and VND 1.300.000 and deprived of at least 3 indicators measuring deprivation of access to basic social services.

2. Near-poor household

a/ In rural areas: is the one that has a monthly per capita income of between over VND 700.000 and VND 1,000,000 and is deprived of less than 3 indicators measuring deprivation of access to basic social services;

b/ In urban areas: is the one that has a monthly per capita income of between over VND 900.000 and VND 1,300,000 and is deprived of less than 3 indicators measuring deprivation of access to basic social services.

3. Medium household

a/ In rural areas: is the one that has a monthly per capita income of between over VND 1.000. 000 and VND 1,500,000;

b/ In urban areas: is the one that has a monthly per capita income of between over VND 1.300.000 and VND 1,950,000.

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1. The poverty levels prescribed in Article 2 of this Decision shall serve as the basis for measuring and monitoring deprivation of income and access to basic social services of citizens; identifying beneficiaries of poverty reduction and social security policies; and drawing up other socio-economic policies during 2016-2020.

2. Responsibilities of ministries and sectors

a/ The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs

- To elaborate plans, methods and tools to guide localities in surveying and identifying policy beneficiaries at the beginning, middle and end of the period (on a biannual basis).

- To summarize and report to the National Assembly and the Government the rates of multidimensionally poor and near-poor households at the beginning, middle and end of the period of the whole country, provinces and cities;

- To develop a database to manage poor and near-poor households nationwide for 2016-2020.

b/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment

- To additionally collect data on poverty dimension and multidimensional poverty index (MPI) for the household living standard survey so as to monitor and evaluate the multidimensional poverty status of the country and localities;

- Based on the results of the annual household living standard survey, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (the General Statistics Office of Vietnam) shall make public the overall poverty rate (with the updated consumer price index - CPI), the rate of households deprived of access to basic social services, and multidimensional poverty index (MPI) as the basis for making orientations for regional economic and sectoral development policies as well as poverty reduction and social security policies;

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c/ The Ministry of Finance

To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in, balancing budget resources for implementing poverty reduction and social security policies when changing the method of poverty measurement into the multidimensional approach.

d/ The Ministry of Health

- To study and implement solutions to increase the people’s access to medical examination and treatment services, health insurance coverage and the quality of medical examination and treatment services;

- To coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment in studying, adding and updating indicators measuring the health service access.

dd/ The Ministry of Education and Training

- To study and implement solutions to increase the school attendance rate of children at the appropriate age at each educational level, reduce the rates of drop-outs and grade repetition; and increase adult literacy rate;

- To coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment in adding and updating indicators measuring the educational service access.

e/ The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

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- To coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment in adding and updating indicators measuring the rural sanitation and clean water service access.

g/ The Ministry of Construction

- To study and implement solutions to increase poor and near-poor households’ access to housing and the rate of people having quality houses with prescribed area;

- To coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment in adding and updating indicators measuring the housing service access.

h/ The Ministry of Information and Communications

- To study and implement solutions to increase the people’s information access;

- To coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment in adding and updating indicators measuring the information access.

i/ The Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs shall coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and related ministries in working out solutions to sustainably reduce poverty for ethnic minority people;

k/ Related ministries and sectors shall, based on the level of deprivation of access to basic social services of the whole country and each locality, propose to the Government and the Prime Minister solutions in specific and regular programs and policies so as to increase the people’s access to basic social services, especially in regions with low access rate.

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a/ To raise awareness of authorities, sectors and people about the purpose and significance of the change of the method of poverty measurement from one-dimensional to multi-dimensional approach;

b/ To direct annual surveys to identify and classify beneficiaries of poverty reduction policies;

c/ To direct the development of a database for management of poor and near-poor households in the 2016-2020 period in their localities;

d/ To study and implement solutions to increase local people’s access to basic social services;

dd/ Based on their practical conditions and capacity, provinces and centrally-run cities may add dimensions/indicators of deprivation; adjust the measuring thresholds of indicators of deprivation, fully apply the multidimensional poverty measuring approach, raise the income norms higher than the national ones on the condition that they shall balance their own local budgets in accordance with law to support the poor and near-poor in their localities after such adjustment and raising.

Article 4. Effect

1. This Decision takes effect on January 5, 2016.

Articles 1 and 2 of this Decision must apply from January 1, 2016.

2. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decision.-

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PRIME MINISTER




Nguyen Tan Dung