The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has proposed an increase of 38.9% in social assistance for social protection beneficiaries.

Under a draft decree to amend and supplement some provisions of the Government’s Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP on social assistance policies for social protection beneficiaries, the MoLISA proposed to raise the social assistance standard level from VND360,000 ($14.1) to VND500,000 ($19.6) per month.

The policy will be applied from July 1, 2024, if it is approved by the Government.

Accordingly, the state budget allocation for social assistance in 2024 would increase by about VND4.7 trillion (nearly $185 million) as compared to 2023.

The MoLISA said the policy is aimed at helping to ensure basic living conditions for social protection beneficiaries.

The current assistance level remains low while prices of essential goods keep increasing, causing many difficulties for social protection beneficiaries, according to the MoLISA.

According to the ministry, the total number of people currently receiving monthly social assistance exceeds 3.38 million.