Nearly 10,000 tonnes of rice aid proposed for the needy

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has proposed the Prime Minister provide over 9,877 tonnes of rice in aid for needy households during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday and the between-crop period of early 2022.

The MoLISA said on January 20 that the fourth wave of COVID-19 has driven a number of people into difficulties such as job losses, furlough, and income reduction. Meanwhile, abnormal weather conditions like hailstorms, floods, and drought have also resulted in hardships for many, particularly ethnic minority people, poor and near-poor families.

Facing that fact, seven provinces hit hard by the pandemic and natural disasters, namely Tay Ninh, Cao Bang, Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan, Nghe An, Gia Lai, and Quang Binh, asked the PM for more than 11,448 tonnes of rice aid for 197,952 households, with 658,525 people, during Tet and the between-crop period.

In the initial phase, the MoLISA proposed over 9,877 tonnes of rice be delivered free of charge to the seven provinces. That includes about 6,902 tonnes for 141,659 households with 460,147 people during Tet, and 2,975 tonnes for 56,293 households with 198,378 people to survive the between-crop period./.