HANOI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese government's current key tasks are curbing inflation, maintaining macroeconomic development, and ensuring social welfare and sustainable growth, of which inflation reduction is its top priority, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

    To this end, the government will ask localities and relevant agencies to tighten monetary policies, and cut down on expenses and public investments funded by the state budget, local newspaper People on Monday quoted an article written by the prime minister.

    Ministers and chairpersons of provincial People's Committees should review investment projects of state-owned enterprises, and terminate ineffective ones, he said.

    The country will focus on boosting agricultural and industrial production to increase its food output, ensuring goods supply and demand balance, and reducing trade deficit, he said, noting that relevant agencies should ensure supply and control prices of some essential commodities such as foods and foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, steel, fertilizer and construction materials.

    The government has decided not to increase prices of electricity, coal, petroleum products, fertilizer, cement, water, pharmaceuticals, train tickets and airfares, Dung said.

    Besides, the government will require agencies to intensify practicing thrift, accelerating market management, and implementing social welfare policies, he said.

    Vietnam gained gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 7.4 percent in the first quarter of this year, and consumer price index (CPI) of 9.19 percent in March, the prime minister said.