Hanoi (VNA) - The Prime Minister has called on ministries and governmentagencies to tighten controls and take steps to ensure stable markets and socialsecurity during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Ina directive sent last week, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the Ministry of Industryand Trade to closely monitor market demand and supply, especially necessarygoods and services, to take timely measures to ensure a supply source andreasonable prices nationwide during Tet, which falls in late January 2017.

Theministry was instructed to prevent counterfeit and low-quality goods withoutclear origins from being sold in the market and strictly punish those whospeculate on products and cheat customers to earn illegal profits.

Besidespreventing smuggling, fraud and counterfeit goods, the Ministry of Finance, wasalso asked to control market prices so that they remain stable before and afterTet.

Underthe directive, the PM requested the State Bank of Vietnam to ensure cash supplyis sufficient for the economy during the holiday, ATM machines work properlyand workers get paid before the festival.

Thecentral bank was also instructed to take effective measures to ensure stabilityof monetary, foreign exchange and gold markets.

Itwas told to increase inspections and monitoring on operation of creditinstitutions and foreign banks’ branches to ensure the banking system’s safetyand liquidity.

Thedirective requires the Ministry of Transport to ensure that there aresufficient vehicles for people to travel during the Tet holiday with theirfamilies, especially those in remote and disadvantaged areas, including thoseinhabited by ethnic minority communities.

Itshould also implement plans to keep unsafe and substandard vehicles off theroads, ask transport companies to publicise their rates and deliver ticketsdirectly to passengers.

Itasked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to ensure that theagriculture sector continues production to meet market demand during the Tetholiday.-VNA