Government departments and agencies need to seriously address the issues raised by the press.

Comrade Le Minh Thong - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, chaired the press conference. Photo: Mai Hoa

Reporting on the socio-economic situation in the first nine months of the year, Nguyen Huu Mao, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Nghe An province, said that despite difficulties, thanks to the efforts of the entire political system, the business community, and all sectors of the population, the province's socio-economic development continued to progress.

Economic growth rate for the first nine months reached 8.02%; budget revenue is estimated at 9,717.6 billion VND, reaching 76.6% of the target, an increase of 14.7% compared to the same period last year.

External relations and investment promotion activities received significant attention. In the first nine months, 82 new projects were approved, with a total registered investment capital of VND 7,583.31 billion. The Provincial People's Committee, relevant departments, and localities actively addressed difficulties and obstacles, supported investors, and accelerated project progress. Simultaneously, 72 projects with delayed progress were inspected, resulting in the revocation of 7 projects. To date, a total of 140 projects with delayed progress have been revoked or terminated throughout the province.

Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Huu Mao reports on the socio-economic situation in the first nine months of 2018. Photo: Mai Hoa

The Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment also provided information on the impact of typhoons No. 3 and No. 4 and the heavy rains and floods from August 28 to 31, 2018. According to the report, 10 people died and 2 were injured in the province; 91 houses collapsed or were swept away; thousands of hectares of rice, corn, and vegetables were damaged, and tens of thousands of livestock and poultry were lost.

At the press conference, several media outlets and journalists raised numerous practical issues and requested that the Provincial People's Committee, departments, and localities investigate and provide answers to the public. For example, they raised the issue of 569 individuals in the province who were receiving war invalid benefits despite not having the necessary documentation.

In explaining this issue, representatives from the Provincial Military Command and the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs stated that the authorities are currently temporarily suspending the payment of benefits to these individuals. They are also directing local authorities to directly meet with these individuals to request additional documentation to ensure compliance with legal requirements. Further action will be taken if any discrepancies are found.

Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hoang Nghia Hieu, acknowledged that the release of water from hydroelectric power plants has had an impact on mountainous districts. Photo: Mai Hoa

Representatives from the Nhan Dan Newspaper requested that the province clarify the plan to address the damage caused by the recent floods to 91 households whose houses collapsed. They also requested that the Provincial People's Committee clarify the responsibility of the hydropower plants for the flood releases that caused significant damage to downstream districts.

Explaining these issues, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Nghia Hieu said that recently the Provincial People's Committee established an inspection team to assess the flood discharge of hydropower plants and confirmed that the flood discharge of some hydropower plants caused flooding and damage in downstream areas.

Accordingly, the Khe Bo, Ban Ve, and Chi Khe hydropower plants are obligated to compensate and support the local people, and the Provincial People's Committee is currently assigning responsibility to local authorities to inspect and supervise this compensation and support process.

A representative from Tuoi Tre newspaper suggested that the Provincial People's Committee should find solutions to address the overcrowding at waste disposal sites. (Photo: Mai Hoa)

Many journalists also pointed out numerous issues reflected in the press that have not been seriously addressed or resolved by relevant agencies; the handling of some cases related to the rights of citizens has not been proactive.

For example, the situation of terminating contracts and recruiting new teachers inadvertently creates a problem of not attracting talented people to schools; the issue of streamlining and reorganizing the administrative apparatus is hampered by overlapping regulations; and solutions to address the current overload at waste disposal sites…

Speaking at the press conference, Comrade Le Minh Thong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, expressed gratitude for the support of the press agencies and journalists over the past period.

Comrade Le Minh Thong - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, requested that departments and agencies respond to the issues raised by the press. Photo: Mai Hoa

Frankly pointing out some shortcomings of some media outlets that still report inaccurately, failing to reflect the true nature of events and causing public confusion, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Minh Thong requested media agencies and journalists to continue paying attention to and strengthening the dissemination of information on the direction and management of the Provincial People's Committee, as well as the targets and tasks for the last three months of the year, contributing to the completion of socio-economic targets for the whole year of 2018.

Simultaneously, media outlets need to strengthen the promotion of the image of Nghe An province; its potential to attract investment; and gather information for propaganda commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Truong Bon victory...

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Minh Thong set requirements and assigned responsibility to departments and agencies to monitor and update information reflected from press agencies related to their areas of management and advisory work in order to address issues; in particular, they need to seriously and fully respond to issues raised by the press when conclusions and tasks have been assigned by the Provincial People's Committee at press conferences, without evasion.