Gia Lai (VNA) - The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai should combine economic development with social security such as improving infrastructure, health care and education for the locals, particularly ethnic minority groups, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan said.

Working with local authorities, the Vice State President requested more concerted efforts to build the unity bloc from grassroots levels in a bid to gather the multitude side by side with the Party.

The vice president praised the province’s achievements recorded during the renewal process, including its success to improve living conditions for the local people.

She noted with pleasure that Gia Lai succeeded in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, managing to reduce the rate of poor households to 17 percent at present from 30 percent in 2005.

During her tour of Gia Lai province from August 20-21, Doan also visited and presented gifts to social welfare beneficiaries in Ia Khuol commune, and called at a boarding school for ethnic minority students in Chu Se district and the provincial women’s union.-Enditem