PM Chinh urges actions to settle typhoon aftermath, achieve growth target

He made the request at a conference between permanent Government members and the localities hit by Typhoon Yagi on September 15.

Participants shared the view that the Politburo, the Government, the PM, ministries, sectors, and localities gave directions early and from afar and kept a close watch on the progress of the storm and flooding. Forces, especially military, police, and grassroots ones, seriously complied with the PM’s instructions while people stayed united and properly carried out storm response and aftermath settlement.

PM Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the conference between permanent Government members and the localities hit by Typhoon Yagi on September 15. (Photo: VNA)

However, the most powerful typhoon in the East Sea in 30 years and in the Vietnamese mainland in 70 years, which moved fast, covered a vast area, sustained its strength for a long time, and triggered widespread downpour and flooding, caused heavy human and property losses.

As of 6am on September 15, the storm and its accompanying downpours, flooding, and landslides had left 348 dead or missing and injured 1,921 others. They damaged nearly 232,000 houses, more than 190,000ha of rice, nearly 48,000ha of other crops, 32,000ha of fruit trees, along with 3,269 aquaculture cages. More than 2.6 million poultry and livestock were also killed.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment estimated material losses at about 40 trillion VND (over 1.6 billion USD).

PM Chinh conveyed sympathies from the Politburo, the Party Central Committee Secretariat, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, as well as other Party and State leaders to the affected localities, agencies, units, and especially the families whose members were dead, missing, or injured in the super typhoon.

He also expressed gratitude to the frontline forces, including police and military, for their bravery and sacrifice, people and business for their solidarity and good deeds, along with other countries and international friends for their assistance.

The Government has allocated more than 350 billion VND and 300 tonnes of rice to the Yagi-hit localities, and more will be delivered. The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee also held a ceremony to call for donations to the affected provinces and cities, raising over 1 trillion VND so far, he noted.

Outlining some key tasks, the Government leader emphasised the targets of ensuring no one faces food, clothes, water, or living place shortages; promptly and effectively addressing the aftermath; quickly stabilising people’s situation; soon resuming production and business activities; properly controlling inflation and striving for an economic growth rate of 7%; keeping political stability, social order and safety; enhancing international cooperation and maintaining an environment of peace, cooperation, and development.

Given this, PM Chinh demanded focus be put on searching for the missing, treating the injured, and holding burial services for the dead; giving support to the families with dead or injured members; delivering food, clean water and other essential supplies to people, especially in isolated areas; cleaning up the environment; preventing disease outbreaks; keeping electricity, telecommunications, and essential services uninterrupted; and quickly repairing health and educational establishments.

Sectors and localities need to continue reviewing damage suffered by the State and people, arrange safe living places for those made homeless by the storm and complete this work by December 31, restore traffic, guarantee social security and ensure no one is left behind, devise support policies for the affected families, and exempt or reduce school fees for students in impacted areas.

In addition, the PM asked for reviewing damage suffered by production and business establishments to provide recovery support to prevent supply chain disruptions.

He suggested the State Bank of Vietnam and the banking system consider extending debt repayment deadlines or launching zero-interest-rate loan packages while the Ministry of Finance consider reducing or extending payment deadlines for taxes, fees, and charges.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was told to guarantee the supply of input materials for production and business. Meanwhile, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies was requested to devise lending plans for households.

Besides, he demanded strongly promoting public investment disbursement and the national target programmes; ensuring budget collection along with fuel, power and water supply; efficiently using the donations and preventing corruption, wastefulness and profiteering; guaranteeing sufficient goods and materials for production and business; controlling prices; renewing the three traditional growth drivers of investment, export, and consumption; bolstering new growth drivers; restructuring crop and animal farming; aligning production and business activities with local conditions; and pressing on with diversifying markets, products, and supply chains.

PM Chinh asked ministries, sectors, and localities to actively, promptly, and fruitfully implement the abovementioned tasks, calling for joint efforts to achieve the set targets.