“People in rural areas will soon experience tangible results of development programs”, President Thein Sein said in his radio speech on September 1.

He pledged to prioritize and focus his effort on providing citizens in rural areas with purified drinking water and irrigation water for agriculture which is the primary means of rural livelihood, electricity, better communication facilities, job opportunities and better agricultural programs.

The President also said that the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development has been formed to implement rural development programs effectively.

With the approval of the Union Parliament, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries was transformed into the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development in order to facilitate implement these programs.

The Ministry announced 3 objectives to accomplish rural development on August 25, during a meeting with local and international civil societies. The three objectives are to provide sufficient purified water in rural area, to provide adequate electricity, and to offer programs to produce adequate food.

The Minister also stated their plans to upgrade and construct the roads and bridges in rural area, to build public lavatories, to provide rural housings for migrated citizens, to implement programs that will facilitate sustainable livelihood, and to carry out livestock farming through profit sharing system.

The Ministry will work together with local and international NGOs to carry out rural development programs and as the first step, the program will be implemented in 33 townships in Ayeyarwaddy Delta Region, Mid-Myanmar Tropical Zone and Mountain Regions.

The 7 areas of development programs were drafted at the meeting between the President, Union Ministers, and Division and State Ministers on August 9. The areas are electricity, drinking water, agriculture, job opportunities, travel and tourism and monetary trade and investments.

The development programs will be accomplished within 30 months.