Nghe An Provincial People's Council pointed out 7 shortcomings in local public investment

Focus on completing 223 projects

The report shows many efforts, attempts, and determination in the methodical, drastic, and proactive leadership and direction of the Provincial People's Committee, provincial departments, branches, and localities in implementing the public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period.

Timely allocation of public investment capital; of which the initial allocation was 19,768.244/20,914.71 billion VND of the total capital plan for the 2021-2025 period and the additional capital during the period was 1,184.39 billion VND. The total allocated capital was 20,796.59 billion VND, reaching 99.44% of the total plan; the unallocated capital was 118.12 billion VND (local budget source), accounting for 0.56% of the total plan.

The province has also paid attention to arranging capital to repay project debts. In the period of 2021 - 2025, the provincial budget has arranged to repay debts for 19 projects with a capital of 74,427 billion VND and has arranged 100% of this capital in 2021 - 2022 to repay debts.

In the 3 years of 2021 - 2023, 223 projects have been completed, making an important contribution to the socio-economic development of the province in many fields, including transportation, irrigation, technical infrastructure, education, health, culture, sports, national defense - security, ensuring social security, improving people's lives.

7 problems and limitations in public investment

Besides the positive "bright spots", the report also pointed out 7 shortcomings and limitations in public investment:

The determination of capital sources and the ability to balance capital to build public investment plans is not close to reality, leading to the need to adjust and supplement the plan many times. The investment phases of some works and projects are not suitable, the construction is not synchronized, lasting for many years without completion, some works have not completed the stage but have been degraded, damaged, and have not effectively promoted the allocated capital.

The arrangement of counterpart funds at district and commune levels to implement projects under the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2021 - 2025 of localities is still limited and not guaranteed according to the approved plan.

Some capital sources are allocated in detail later than the prescribed time (allocated after December 31 of the year before the planning year) such as the allocation sources for national target programs, additional sources from the socio-economic recovery and development program...

Although the site clearance work has been directed by all sectors and levels, it still faces many difficulties, affecting the project's progress.

Some projects have to adjust their investment policies and projects many times, which takes a lot of time, slows down the implementation progress and disbursement of capital plans. Some projects are transferred, invested in from the previous phase but have not yet been completed, handed over for use and exploitation.

The Provincial People's Committee has directed the drastic implementation of advances and recovery of advances. However, as of August 31, 2024, there are still 88 projects with overdue advances and difficult to recover amounts of: VND 56,521,548,841 (of which: compensation and site clearance advances are: VND 12,278,108,259). Some investors have not recovered overdue advances with a large value of advanced capital to be recovered.

The disbursement results of the plan in some years have not met the set requirements (in 2021 it only reached 88%, in 2022 it reached 84.86%, ...), especially foreign capital sources only reached from 52% to 60%. The progress of implementing projects and sub-projects under the National Target Programs is still slow, the disbursement rate is low. The work of preparing documents, examining and approving the settlement of public investment capital for completed projects is generally still slow compared to regulations, especially for works and projects invested by commune and district levels.

Proposal to implement 7 groups of contents

From the existing and limited issues, the Provincial People's Council's monitoring delegation recommended and proposed the Provincial People's Committee to direct departments, branches, localities, investors and related units to focus on implementing 7 groups of contents.

The focus is on directing all levels and sectors to review the public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period, promptly resolving difficulties and obstacles to accelerate the implementation progress and disbursement of public investment capital to ensure the highest results. Promoting the role and responsibility (clarifying responsibility for long-term unfinished construction works) of leaders in leadership, direction, management and operation to soon complete the public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period; promptly assessing and drawing lessons to deploy the development of the public investment plan for the next period to ensure quality and efficiency.

Maximize the investment resources of the economy, focusing on ensuring state budget resources to arrange capital plans, meeting the remaining capital needs of the Medium-term Public Investment Plan for the period 2021 - 2025. Review all works and projects under the public investment plan in the province that are still unfinished, prolonged, and have problems to classify, consider and resolve, and propose to transition them into the public investment plan of the next period.

Direct investors to regularly review shortcomings, promptly complete procedures to submit to competent authorities for decision on adjusting investment policies, adjusting projects (in terms of time schedule, scale, capital sources, etc.) to ensure compliance with legal regulations and in accordance with the practical situation of the locality and unit; promptly transfer capital of projects with problems that have not been disbursed or projects with low disbursement rates to other projects in need of capital to speed up the disbursement progress of public investment capital.

Direct the implementation of investigation, survey, proposal making, appraisal of investment policies, ensuring project quality, avoiding multiple adjustments. Strengthen the direction of the work of preparing documents, examining, and approving the final settlement of public investment capital for completed projects to ensure compliance with the provisions of Decree No. 99/2021/ND-CP dated November 11, 2021 of the Government on management, payment, and settlement of projects using public investment capital. Continue to direct the review of long-standing advances and find solutions to recover advances to repay the budget according to regulations.

The Provincial People's Committee focuses on directing relevant departments, branches, localities and units to review and propose projects and works to be included in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2026 - 2030 to ensure that they are consistent with the goals and development orientations according to the provincial planning, have high spillover effects, have positive impacts on socio-economic development, attract investment, and ensure social security.

Strengthen coordination between relevant agencies and units in the process of implementing medium-term and annual public investment plans; Regularly direct the inspection, supervision and evaluation of project investment by competent agencies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public investment projects; promptly detect and prevent shortcomings and deficiencies in the process of project implementation; rectify localities, agencies, organizations and investors that do not fully comply with the investment monitoring and evaluation reporting regime as prescribed by law. At the same time, review and include in the inspection and examination plan projects showing signs of waste and slow progress.