Hanoi (VNA) – In 2017, Central Highlands provinces need to continue fullyexploiting their potential to promote economic development and social security,particularly among ethnic minority groups, said Senior LieutenantGeneral To Lam, Head of the Steering Committee for the Central HighlandsRegion.

Lam, who isalso Minister of Public Security, urged the localities to review socio-economicand sectoral planning, particularly in climate change adaptation; acceleraterestructuring in tandem with growth models adjusted towards enhancing quality,efficiency, and competitiveness.

They were askedto quickly restructure public investment, State-owned enterprises and agriculturealong with new-style rural building while improving investment promotion todraw investment in high-tech agriculture, clean energy, processing industry,cattle breeding and tourism.

Facilitatingstart-ups, developing local businesses and mobilising social resources for developmentare also priorities.

In 2017, theregion needs to strengthen land and forests management, allocate residentialand cultivation land for needy households, push forward forest planting andabide by the Prime Minister’s directions on forest management and protection.

The committeeis to work with ministries and sectors to propose to the Government mechanisms andincentives to ensure socio-economic development, national defence and securityof the region.

It will also studyregional connectivity and implement a regional connectivity mechanism inseveral sectors and types of local goods while developing a special creditsystem for sustainable poverty reduction.

Lam also saidministries, sectors and localities should help all people enjoy the traditionalLunar New Year (Tet) holidays by ensuring supply and quality of goods as wellas safe transport.

According tothe committee, despite prolonged drought early last year, regional grossdomestic product surpassed 151 trillion VND (6.56 billion USD), up 7.47 percentannually while gross regional domestic product per capita hit 39.56 million VND(1,720 USD), up 8.5 percent. 

The regioncollected 18.15 trillion VND (799.6 million USD) for the state budget, andearned over two billion USD from exports, up 25.5 percent and 14.8 percent from2015.

Total socialinvestment reached 78.79 trillion VND (3.42 billion USD), a 7.2 percentincrease. The number of newly-established firms and registered capital roseyear-on-year. 

Thanks to technologicaladvances and restructuring crops, agricultural production recovered quickly afterdrought. More attention was also paid to forest protection. 

In 2016, theregion provided vocational training for 78,000 people and jobs for 113,000labourers. The regional poor and near-poor household rates reduced by 2.1percent and 2.4 percent, to 15 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

Progress wasrecorded in the national programme on new-style rural building and policiestargeting ethnic minority groups.

Despite significantsocio-economic achievements in the year, numerous shortcomings remained in theregion, such as poor traffic infrastructure and land use-related issues, amongothers.-VNA