Provincial People's Council delegates pointed out limitations in management and administration at all levels.

Secretary of Do Luong District Party Committee Ngoc Kim Nam chaired the discussion session of Group 1. Photo: Mai Hoa

Also attending the discussion session of Group 1 were comrades: Thai Thanh Quy - Alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Hoang Viet Duong - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; representatives of provincial departments, branches and Standing Committees of the People's Councils of 3 districts and towns.

Concerns about budget revenue targets

Delegate Tran Van Hung (Thai Hoa town) was concerned when the Resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress set the budget revenue target for the last year of the 2020 term to reach 25,000 - 30,000 billion VND; in which the budget revenue target for the coming year 2019 will only reach a total budget revenue of 13,498 billion VND.

Delegate Hung also suggested that the Provincial People's Committee, in its direction and management, should pay attention to attracting large projects, associated with removing difficulties and obstacles, promoting production and business to increase revenue.

Delegate Tran Van Hung - Commander of the Provincial Military Command is concerned about the 2019 budget revenue target. Photo: Mai Hoa

Also concerned about budget revenue, delegate Tran Duy Ngoan (Hoang Mai town) said that the 2019 budget revenue target compared to the total budget revenue in 2018, which reached 13,141.6 billion VND, only increased by 357 billion VND.

Meanwhile, the economic growth rate in 2019 set by the province is 9 - 9.5% and the average income per capita from 38 million VND (2018) to 42 - 43 million VND (2019), is there a contradiction?

Regarding this issue, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy said that the province's budget revenue in the past 3 years, excluding land use rights revenue, has not met the estimate assigned by the Ministry of Finance. And in 2019, based on the review of the reality in a number of provinces, including Nghe An, the Ministry of Finance has adjusted the budget revenue estimate to be more in line with reality and accordingly, the province's revenue estimate has decreased compared to previous years.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy explained some opinions at the group discussion session. Photo: Mai Hoa

On the other hand, although the economic growth rate target for 2019 is set high, the budget revenue growth rate is not set accordingly, because in our province there are currently a number of industries, fields, and enterprises that contribute to the economic growth rate, but do not generate revenue growth, such as wood, Hoa Sen corrugated iron, cement, garment and some enterprises investing in VSIP and Hemaraj industrial parks, all of which are in the tax exemption period in the first 5 years. Or in agricultural production, it also contributes greatly to economic growth, but does not generate revenue growth.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also proposed solutions to increase revenue. In addition to urging tax debt collection and preventing tax losses in all fields, sectors and localities also need to accompany the province to create all conditions to attract large projects and strategic investors; along with that, saving regular expenses.

Many negative impacts in mineral exploitation are slow to be resolved. Photo: Mai Hoa

Many concerns are slow to be resolved.

Concerned about environmental pollution, delegate Ngoc Kim Nam (Do Luong district) raised 3 issues that the province needs to pay attention to in terms of wastewater treatment planning; landfill planning and cemetery planning to both solve immediate problems and ensure long-term sustainability. Along with that, there needs to be a direction to handle the environmental pollution from Song Lam Cement Factory related to dust, noise and wastewater.

Regarding the pollution issue from Song Lam Cement Factory, delegate Vo Duy Viet (Thai Hoa town) said that this is one of the key projects of the province in this term. However, the production process has had negative impacts on the environment as reported by the people and the government.

And in fact, recently, Do Luong district has come to the Provincial Department of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to inspect and impose a fine of 500 million VND. To overcome this problem, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has directed the sectors and localities to take action; in which the issue of concern is to require investors to fully comply with the legal regulations on environmental protection.

Delegate Vo Duy Viet (Thai Hoa town) said that there needs to be supervision by sectors and localities regarding the environmental pollution situation at Song Lam Cement Factory. Photo: Mai Hoa

In the immediate future, according to delegate Vo Duy Viet, enterprises need to install automatic monitoring systems according to regulations and connect monitoring data to the province's control center for 24/7 monitoring; at the same time, carry out wastewater treatment to meet prescribed standards before discharging into the environment.

In addition to the responsibility of the investor, it also sets out the responsibility of all levels, sectors, especially local authorities, in closely monitoring environmental issues here to ensure the lives of the people.

Another issue raised in the discussion of group 2 is administrative reform. Delegate Le Dinh Ly (Do Luong district) admitted that administrative procedure reform is a weak link; reflected in many cumbersome procedures, including unnecessary procedures that officers and civil servants still require, such as photocopying of ID cards and household registration books; the posting and public disclosure of administrative procedures in some sectors and localities are not in accordance with regulations; the settlement of administrative procedures in many localities is not carried out at the "one-stop" department but at specialized departments.

Delegate Le Dinh Ly admitted that administrative procedure reform is a weak link. Photo: Mai Hoa

Delegate Le Dinh Ly also admitted that through inspection and supervision, there are still some officials and civil servants who are not strict in observing discipline and administrative discipline. The above mentioned issues are affecting the trust of people and businesses in State management agencies at all levels.

Also at Group 1, many delegates raised many existing problems and proposed that the Provincial People's Committee continue to be more drastic in directing and operating to make improvements in 2019. These are social insurance arrears; private medical and pharmaceutical practice; teacher rotation; job creation, increasing income for farmers through new rural construction; environmental pollution in mineral exploitation...

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy has accepted the opinions raised by the delegates and promised to have drastic solutions in 2019 to gradually overcome the problems. The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also affirmed that in order for administrative reform to have real changes, it is important that leaders of sectors and localities need to be decisive; along with that, promoting the application of information technology in management and administration, in order to limit businesses and people's direct contact with cadres and civil servants in handling work, thereby reducing negativity and inconvenience and harassment.