Towards modern administration

(Baonghean) -The implementation of a modern one-stop shop in Quynh Luu is considered a turning point in promoting administrative reform at the district level, in line with the province's policy of deploying online public services to best serve the needs of people and businesses in handling administrative procedures.

"Clear work, clear public"

As a coastal locality with a large population and the largest number of citizens coming to transact and carry out administrative procedures in the district, Son Hai commune was chosen by Quynh Luu district as one of the four communes to implement the modern one-stop mechanism. Accordingly, when carrying out administrative procedures that must go through the district level, organizations and individuals only need to go to the reception and return of results department of the commune People's Committee.

The staff on duty at the one-stop-shop department will check the completeness of the documents and will transfer the citizen's documents via electronic software to the district's one-stop-shop department for processing and hand over the appointment letter to the citizen. On the appointment day, the citizen only needs to come to the commune's one-stop-shop department to receive the documents. Mr. Nguyen Huy Thuong - a resident of Son Hai commune said: "Resolving administrative procedures under the modern one-stop-shop mechanism has significantly reduced the time because there is no need to go back and forth many times, the procedures and fees are public and transparent. We are very excited, because the modern one-stop-shop has helped to make things smooth and convenient."

Resolving administrative procedures for people at the One-Stop-Shop Department of Quynh Luu District. Photo: Le Thanh

Currently, Son Hai Commune People's Committee has 119 administrative procedures being applied in the commune. Of which, the administrative procedures being applied at the reception and result return department according to the one-stop mechanism, the one-stop mechanism connecting communes and districts include: Civil status justice, construction land administration, labor, war invalids and social affairs, individual business registration. Comrade Cao Xuan Diep - Secretary of Son Hai Commune Party Committee said: "The application of the modern one-stop mechanism contributes to the implementation of the Resolution of the Commune Party Committee on strengthening the Party's leadership in administrative reform work in the period of 2016 - 2020 to focus on leadership and direction. Thereby, it has contributed to promoting the socio-economic development of the commune".

In another selected commune, Quynh Luong commune, up to now, 76 administrative procedures have been publicly posted at the one-stop department; officers and civil servants working at the reception and result delivery department are fully equipped with computers, printers, and scanners for work. To operate the modern one-stop mechanism, the People's Committee of Quynh Luong commune has developed and implemented the Regulations on organization and operation of the commune's reception and result delivery department.

Accordingly, the Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee is in charge. Over the implementation period, the procedural records in the fields of Justice - Civil status; Natural Resources - Environment; Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs have all been carried out more quickly, promptly and effectively. Comrade Nguyen Van Tue - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Luong Commune said: "Thanks to the software application, the documents sent by the District People's Committee are received by the commune in less than a minute, very convenient and fast. In particular, implementing the modern one-stop mechanism, the qualifications of the commune-level civil servants have been raised to meet the requirements of the assigned tasks".

Expanding online public services

In order to create the necessary conditions to strengthen and consolidate the relationship between the government and the people, ensuring better service to the people, Quynh Luu district has identified administrative reform as a key task in leadership and direction. First of all, the district has focused on investing in facilities and staff to meet the requirements of the task. Along with the application of the HCM.Egov Framework 2.0 e-government software and specialized software in the direction, operation and handling of work. Quynh Luu has directed units to review and simplify administrative procedures and shorten the time to resolve and return administrative records to citizens, organizations and businesses.

Accordingly, in 2016, Quynh Luu district reviewed and eliminated 53 administrative procedures that were no longer appropriate. The processing time for some administrative procedures was shortened for citizens and organizations, such as: Procedures for changing land use rights purposes were reduced from 35 days to 25 days; issuance of new pages of land use rights certificates was reduced from 5 days to 1 day; business registration was reduced from 5 days to 3 days. The district added 29 more administrative procedures to receive and return results at the district's one-stop department from November 1, 2016, bringing the total number of administrative procedures carried out through the district's one-stop department to 132/203 administrative procedures, reaching a rate of 65%. Files received at the district's one-stop department basically returned results on time.

Inspection delegation of administrative reform work in Quynh Luu

In 2016, the district's One-Stop Department received 21,519 records, of which 20,889 were resolved, reaching 97.1%. In particular, the interconnected one-stop mechanism not only helps shorten the time to resolve administrative procedures, but also shortens the gap in the relationship between state administrative agencies and organizations and individuals.

In particular, towards building e-government, Quynh Luu district is at the forefront of the province in implementing a one-stop shop. The district has proactively registered with the province to pilot a modern one-stop shop model in 4 communes: Ngoc Son, Son Hai, Quynh Luong, Quynh Doi. After nearly 2 years of implementation, administrative procedures have been resolved quickly and effectively.

In early January 2017, to prepare for the opening ceremony of the online public service portal using the new software, Quynh Luu district has gradually tested online public services with the 4 communes mentioned above, connecting 6 processes in 3 areas: Land, finance - planning, civil status. The test run showed that everything went smoothly, and could be done in accordance with the province's instructions on time and content as required by the province.

However, the pilot implementation of a modern interconnected one-stop shop in 4 communes of Quynh Luu district shows that the current difficulty in implementation is that the electronic one-stop shop software has only been granted to 5 key heads including: Party Committee Secretary, Commune People's Committee Chairman, Deputy Party Committee Secretary, judicial officer and commune office officer. Quynh Luu district is proposing the province to expand the key head to 7 commune officials and to expand the connection from the People's Committee to the Party Committee, the Fatherland Front, organizations, agencies and units to the communes to create a synchronous and smooth connection.

Furthermore, the limited level of information technology among the people also affects the handling of procedures and records via the internet in the form of online public services. According to comrade Ho Ngoc Dung - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district: "With the goal of building a modern administration, a government "serving the people", Quynh Luu will synchronously and drastically implement administrative reform from the district to the commune, in which the district will continue to replicate the implementation of the one-stop model from the district to the communes and towns, deploying online public services according to the province's policy".

Le Thanh