Director of Nghe An Department of Finance answers questions about allocating counterpart funds for national target programs in ethnic minority and mountainous areas

On the afternoon of December 8, at the 11th Session, the People's Council of Nghe An province held a question-and-answer session on the content of allocating the province's counterpart capital to implement programs, projects, and investment policies in ethnic minority areas according to the prescribed structure of each program, project, and policy in order to promote all resources to invest in ethnic minority areas for rapid and sustainable development.

Overview of the question and answer session on the afternoon of December 8. Photo: Thanh Cuong

NGHE AN MEETS ENOUGH CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS

Nghe An is a province with a large mountainous area (83% of the province's area), a population of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas of over 1.2 million people (accounting for 36% of the province's total population); ethnic minorities of nearly 500,000 people, accounting for about 15% of the province's total population and more than 40% of the population in mountainous areas.

Director of Nghe An Department of Finance Trinh Thanh Hai presented a report before answering questions. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The national target programs for ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Nghe An province are implemented in 11 mountainous districts with 131 communes in region I and region III; 588 particularly difficult villages and hamlets, so they play a very important role and significance for the socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security of the province.

Therefore, this content received the attention and enthusiastic questioning of the Provincial People's Council delegates. Specifically, 11 Provincial People's Council delegates raised 18 questions to question the Director of the Department of Finance and related sectors.

Delegate Vi Van Quy (Quy Hop delegate) raised a question. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Ms. Que Thi Tram Ngoc (Quy Chau delegate) cited the Prime Minister's regulations, for localities that do not allocate enough counterpart capital in the year, according to regulations, when allocating the plan for the following year, the Central Government will deduct the corresponding capital that the locality still lacks; thereby, please let us know how Nghe An is implementing the above regulations?

The Director of the Department of Finance affirmed that the arrangement of Nghe An's counterpart capital for national target programs is completely guaranteed, so there will be no case of Nghe An having its capital cut.

He gave three reasons to prove that Nghe An will allocate enough counterpart funds. First of all, during the implementation process, the consistent direction and management of the Provincial People's Committee leaders is to prioritize capital allocation for works and projects in mountainous areas and ethnic minority areas.

Delegate Moong Van Tinh (Que Phong delegate) questioned the Director of the Department of Finance. Photo: Thanh Cuong

From that perspective, authorities at all levels and relevant agencies have proactively grasped local needs, developed appropriate projects and programs with the same content and objectives as national target programs for implementation.

The Director of Nghe An Department of Finance also added that the provincial authorities at all levels have also drawn a lot of experience in allocating counterpart funds when implementing two national target programs for the 2016-2020 period.

At the same time, the province is also very interested in promptly issuing legal documents assigning tasks to departments, branches and localities to approve projects and allocate capital for urgent implementation.

Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Huyen (Thanh Chuong delegate) asked to inform about the strengthening of decentralization, empowerment, as well as clear assignment of tasks to implement the activities of the National Target Programs?

Director of the Department of Finance Trinh Thanh Hai answers questions. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Regarding this issue, Director of the Department of Finance Trinh Thanh Hai affirmed: Assigning, decentralizing, and authorizing local authorities at all levels is one of the important solutions to implement national target programs, meeting the requirements of administrative reform, ensuring unified direction and management, and promoting proactiveness, creativity, autonomy, and self-responsibility within the authority of local authorities at all levels.

Currently, the Provincial People's Committee has issued a decision authorizing the Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to decide on investment in group C projects within the scope of a district, city or town under their management using national target program capital with a total amount of less than 15 billion VND.

Regarding settlement, the Department of Finance has advised on a simplified direction, specifically decentralizing the People's Committee at the commune level to examine the settlement of completed projects for investment projects that meet the criteria for implementation under the special mechanism with a total amount from 500 million VND to less than 5 billion VND and allowing the People's Committee at the commune level not to make the settlement of completed projects for works with a total amount of less than 500 million VND but to synthesize the budget settlement by year and report to the People's Committee at the district level to synthesize the settlement according to regulations.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa (Dien Chau delegate) gave a questioning speech. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Responding to Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa (Dien Chau delegate) about the mechanism for managing the 10% matching rate at all budget levels to ensure feasibility, while the localities benefiting from the national target program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the period 2021-2025 are facing many difficulties and limited resources? The Director of Nghe An Department of Finance said: In principle, the arrangement of matching capital is implemented at 3 levels (province, district, commune); however, the beneficiaries of the program are mainly concentrated in mountainous areas, mainly ethnic minorities, so the district and commune budgets cannot have enough resources to match according to regulations.

In that context, Mr. Trinh Thanh Hai said that the provincial budget is mainly responsible for arranging counterpart funds by calculating and integrating investment capital sources to implement mechanisms and policies issued by localities.

Regarding future orientation, Mr. Trinh Thanh Hai emphasized the need to continue implementing the integration mechanism to ensure counterpart funding, while taking advantage of support from the Central Government, as well as avoiding scattered investment leading to waste.

Ms. Lo Thi Kim Ngan (Thanh Chuong delegate) gave a questioning speech. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Regarding the opinion of Ms. Lo Thi Kim Ngan (Thanh Chuong delegate) requesting to know the solution to end the situation of unfinished and prolonged projects; as well as the delay in payment and settlement of projects in ethnic minority areas? The Director of Nghe An Department of Finance said that he will review the projects and programs that the Department had previously advised the province to arrange capital for implementation, to avoid late payment, advance payment but not implementation, causing dispersion and waste.

Regarding this issue, Director of Nghe An Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Xuan Duc said: The construction projects that have been delayed and not yet completed were mainly approved before the Law on Public Investment took effect. However, after the Law on Public Investment was promulgated and took effect, this situation was completely resolved.

Director of the Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Xuan Duc answers questions. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duc also added: The arrangement principle of the 3 National Target Programs in this period is clearly stipulated by the Central and the province, which is to pay off debts and settle accounts for completed projects; carry out extended projects; and then arrange new projects to start construction. Therefore, extended projects will be allocated capital to complete.

IMPLEMENTATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH LEGAL REGULATIONS, ENSURE FAST AND EFFECTIVE RESULTS

Concluding the questioning on this content, on behalf of the session chair, Provincial Party Secretary and Provincial People's Council Chairman Thai Thanh Quy assessed that the Provincial People's Council delegates raised questions concisely, clearly, and within the scope. Leaders of the Department of Finance and a number of related departments and branches answered basically fully, and had a firm grasp of the fields under their management.

Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Council Thai Thanh Quy delivered a concluding speech on the questioning. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Council also assessed that the question and answer session had clarified the effectiveness, significance and important role of national target programs for ethnic minority and mountainous areas of the province; demonstrating the attention of the Party, State and province to this area, thereby bringing stability, development, improving the material and spiritual life of the people, ensuring national defense and security, maintaining peace at the border, ensuring domestic security, and together with the lowlands, developing the whole province.

However, looking back over the past time, the Provincial Party Secretary also assessed that the implementation of programs, projects and policies for mountainous areas and ethnic minorities still revealed many limitations and shortcomings that were pointed out through questioning, discussion, opinions raised and situation assessment.

In particular, the implementation of 3 National Target Programs in this area, although there is an objective factor that the Central Government is slow in allocating capital, but subjectively, according to the Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, the implementation in the province is also very slow, sometimes even being reminded by the Central Government.

This shows that the role of the synthesizing agency, the leading advisory agencies such as the Department of Planning and Investment, the Provincial Ethnic Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs in implementing the required contents of the ministries, branches, and the Government on the implementation of the 3 national target programs has not really been closely and smoothly coordinated. Some districts and units are also slow in making a list of projects.

“The Provincial People's Council requests the political system, especially the authorities at all levels, to implement the law in accordance with the law, but must ensure speed, efficiency, and keep up with the requirements of the Central Government to make the most of opportunities, promptly deploy, soon have projects, soon have quality products, on schedule to serve and meet the development needs of ethnic minority and mountainous areas,” said the Chairman of the Provincial People's Council.

Provincial leaders at the question and answer session. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Nghe An province also pointed out the current reality of many unfinished and backlogged projects, because there was a period of widespread investment implementation; wanting to implement one item with many projects, while the allocated capital source did not ensure implementation.

From the above lesson, the Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Nghe An province said: The province has made strong changes in public investment according to the motto of having focus and key points, "each job must be completed, each project must be completed" to put into use, promote efficiency, avoid spreading, a little bit in each place, and end up unfinished.

Along with that, the head of the Provincial People's Council also pointed out that the inspection, examination and handling of outstanding issues and violations have not been resolute, so many things have not been resolved; some projects in ethnic minority and mountainous areas have not been selected appropriately.

Based on the analysis of the achieved results, existing limitations, as well as the strong and drastic viewpoint, considered as a "revolution" in the viewpoint of allocating public investment resources of the province, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Thai Thanh Quy, on behalf of the meeting chair, proposed the Provincial People's Committee to lead and direct with all levels and sectors to study and organize the implementation of a number of solutions to effectively implement the 3 national target programs for ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period of 2021 - 2025.

First of all, the implementation of 3 national target programs, of which the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas is a new program with many contents, including 10 projects, 14 sub-projects, 36 investment support contents; many management focal points including 8 departments, branches and 12 districts and towns. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure compliance with legal regulations on investment programs and projects associated with quick implementation and smooth coordination so that the program reaches the people as quickly as possible, in accordance with legal regulations, on schedule and with quality.

Delegates at the question and answer session. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Prioritize resources to implement policies issued by the Central Government for mountainous areas and ethnic minorities; enhance the application of information technology; build, manage, and operate a database on planning management, establish a system to monitor and supervise the socio-economic development process of this region in conjunction with project programs.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Council also proposed implementing solutions to strengthen coordination between departments, branches and sectors with local authorities at district and commune levels and relevant agencies; actively and proactively enhance responsibility, effectively implement the arrangement and integration of the province's counterpart funds in implementing national target programs.

At the same time, strengthen the State management of the implementation of capital allocation. Adjust programs and projects to suit the reality; ensure science, rationality, serve the people's needs for economic development - ethnic minority and mountainous areas, effectively implement the goals of the 3 national target programs.

Accordingly, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Council agreed with the opinions of the delegates and the explanations of the sectors that any program or project that is implemented slowly and does not ensure progress due to subjective reasons should be adjusted soon, "do not let it be born prematurely and then leave it there" without completion, causing waste of resources and not contributing to the development of the region. "I request the Party Committee, the government and the delegates of the Provincial People's Council to strengthen supervision to propose competent authorities to consider adjustments when necessary," the Chairman of the Provincial People's Council emphasized.