Bolivia Extols Social Benefit Measures

Speaking on El Pueblo Es Noticia radio and television program, Aguirre explained that as part of a National Development Plan, the government of Evo Morales designed actions to reduce poverty and achieve equal resource distribution.

He emphasized that elimination of illiteracy and increased health cover are part of the main measures implemented between 2006 and 2009.

Bolivia took an important step by becoming in December the third Latin American country free from illiteracy, after Cuba in 1961, and Venezuela in 2005, the minister said.

He asserted that this task helped more than 800,000 people to get rid of illiteracy, and they are currently improving what they learned, as part of the national Post Literacy project.

Referring to health cover, Aguirre said that in 2005, a year before the new government took power, only 13,500,000 people received medical assistance, while that number rose to 22 million in 2008.

He also noted another achievement in that sector is the distribution of 645 ambulances as against the limited 29 distributed between 2003 and 2005.

The official also referred to the monetary benefits for social groups of low income, such as the Renta Dignidad, for low-income people over 60 years of age, the Juancito Pinto bond for primary school children and the mother-child bond for pregnant women and children up to two years of age.