Forest rangers inspect regrown forests in Gia Lai Province’s Krông Chro District. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Điệp GIA LAI — The Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province of Gia Lai has been growing new forests and protecting existing ones in recent years to expand forest cover and improve people’s livelihoods. The province, which has the largest forest cover in the Tây Nguyên region, planted nearly 25,300ha in 2017-20, 6.3 times its target. In Mang Yang District’s Hra Commune, the Hra Protective Forest management board allocated more than 6,300ha of forests last year to individuals, households and communities to exploit while also protecting them. Nguyễn Văn Chín, head of the board, said besides planting and protecting forests, the board focuses on advocacy activities to enhance awareness of households and communities living near forests of the need to protect them. Together with local authorities it organises advocacy activities to annually reach around 1,500 people in the commune’s 12 villages. With these and support for illegal loggers to overcome their family’s financial difficulties, it has managed to stop the logging and make loggers forest guardians. Dương Xuân Kiếm used to be an illegal logger but is now the head of a forest protection group in the commune. He and others used to cut down forests to sell wood to feed their families, but after receiving help from the board to stabilise their lives, they have become forest protectors, he said. His group protects 400ha of natural forests. Last year the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development gave him an award as an exemplary forest protector. Seeing the good examples set by the former illegal loggers, other residents in the commune have also stopped cutting trees and are instead keen to be allotted tracts of forest for protection. The money authorities pay them for this task helps them have a stable life. Krông Chro District is one of the localities to …
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Disbursement of public funds sped up to fuel growth
The disbursed public investment capital last year was equivalent to 96.13 percent of the target set by the Prime Minister (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Public investment disbursement has been accelerated since the opening days of the year as it continues to be seen as an important driving force of economic growth this year, the Dau tu (Vietnam Investment Review) newspaper reported. In a report to the Government in early February, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said that an estimated 452.41 trillion VND (19.6 billion USD) in investment capital was disbursed last year from the State budget, equivalent to 96.13 percent of the target set by the Prime Minister. 2019 disbursement, meanwhile, was equal to just 73.7 percent and 76.75 percent of the figures targeted by the National Assembly and the Prime Minister. The 2020 rate was the highest for many years, he said, describing it as the “sweet fruit” of breakthrough efforts by the Government, ministries, sectors, and localities to promote the disbursement of public funds . Disbursed capital was about 15 trillion VND in January, or 3.25 percent of the 461.3 trillion VND planned for the year by the Prime Minister. The disbursement pace was slower than expected but still much higher than the 0.95 percent recorded in January last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). It noted that, to accelerate disbursement, the allocation of State budget-sourced investment capital has been promoted since late 2020. As a result, over 412 trillion VND of planned capital had been assigned as of the end of January, equivalent to 89 percent of the PM’s target, the MPI said. While this is considered a positive figure, MPI is still concerned that the sum unallocated is relatively large, at more than 101 trillion VND. It pointed out that the 2021 public investment plan has been carried out while the medium-term public investment plan for 2021-2025 has yet to be approved. …
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Petrol prices hit one-year high following latest review
The price of E5 RON92 biofuel recorded an increase of VND722 to a maximum of VND17,031 per litre, whilst RON95 rose by VND814 to no more than VND18,084 per litre. Elsewhere, Diesel 0.05S and kerosene are now on sale for no more than VND13,843 and VND12,610 per litre, marking rises of VND801 and VND702 per litre, respectively. The price of Mazut 180CST 3.5S is now no more than VND13,127 per kg, representing an increase of VND505. This comes after the two ministries decided to make use of the petrol price stabilisation fund, with the use for bio-fuel petrol E5 RON92 and RON95 being VND2,000 and VND1,150 per litre, respectively. The use from the fund for diesel and kerosene was VND850 and VND900 per litre, respectively, while that of mazut was VND800 per kg. Fuel prices are reviewed every 15 days in order to adjust domestic prices in accordance with fluctuations occurring in global markets. …
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