Proposing the People's Committee of Nghe An province to inspect and handle the installation of cameras and weighing stations of mineral enterprises.

Panorama of the opening session of the 11th session of the 18th Provincial People's Council. Comrades Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Nguyen Nam Dinh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council chaired the session. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Attending the meeting were comrades: Nguyen Van Thong - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Hoang Nghia Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. Also attending were comrades of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee; Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; representatives of the Central Organizing Committee; leaders of provincial departments, branches, and districts, cities, and towns.

Collecting nearly 5,000 billion VND from mineral activities

Reporting on the results of monitoring the management of mineral activities in the province, comrade Cao Tien Trung - Standing MemberProvincial People's Council, Head of the Economic - Budget Committee of the Provincial People's Council affirmed that the implementation of legal policies on minerals has been promptly specified by the Provincial People's Committee through documents under its authority; at the same time, it has proactively and actively directed the full and serious implementation of contents under the responsibility of State management of minerals in the province.

Accordingly, the activitymineralsmanaged and implemented according to approved planning with a total of 610 mining sites and 273 currently valid licenses.

At the opening session this morning, invited delegates and delegates of the Provincial People's Council listened to Comrade Cao Tien Trung - Standing Member of the Provincial People's Council, Head of the Economic - Budget Committee of the Provincial People's Council report on the results of the Provincial People's Council's thematic supervision of the State management of minerals in Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In addition to planning and licensing, the Provincial People's Committee also directed all levels and sectors to strengthen inspection and examination work, and since 2016, 14 mineral exploitation licenses have been revoked due to non-compliance with mineral law regulations.

The Provincial People's Committee has also issued a decision approving prohibited areas, temporarily prohibiting mineral activities and protection plans for unexploited minerals in accordance with regulations; and reviewing and inspecting environmental improvement and restoration plans according to the approved mine closure plan.

Mineral exploitation activities play an important role in realizing the socio-economic development goals of the province, creating jobs, and increasing the annual budget revenue for the locality. Within 5 years (2016 - 2021), revenue from resource taxes, environmental protection fees, and mineral exploitation rights fees was more than 4,581 billion VND and mineral export tax was more than 378 billion VND.

Delegates attending the session. Photo: Thanh Cuong

5 limitations, existence

Besides the positive aspects, the report also pointed out the shortcomings and limitations in mineral activities in the province. Notably, the planning of minerals in general, and the planning of minerals for common construction materials in particular, has not met the requirements of local socio-economic development.

Illegal mining is still quite complicated in some localities. Mining and transportation of minerals affect people's lives, pollute the environment, damage and degrade traffic infrastructure, and cause traffic insecurity and disorder.

Delegates attending the session. Photo: Thanh Cuong

There is still a situation of tax loss in mineral activities. Some enterprises declare incorrectly, lack actual mining output, and have incorrect conversion coefficients. Some units declare and pay resource tax but do not have mining licenses; control of the origin and source of minerals has not been strictly implemented.

Some enterprises have not strictly complied with legal regulations on labor safety, hygiene, and policies; have not invested in and improved working conditions; workers still have to work in conditions with many dangerous and toxic factors; some mines have incorrect designs leading to labor safety loss; arrears, intentional evasion, and late payment of insurance premiums still occur in some units.

The Provincial People's Council's specialized monitoring delegation on mineral management surveyed mining at the Quy Hop district quarry. Photo: Mai Hoa

Coordination among departments, branches, and localities in monitoring, inspecting, and handling violations in mineral activities of enterprises is not timely, not synchronous, and not tight, so many enterprises still violate and repeat the acts that have been handled.

8 recommendations and proposals

To continue improving the effectiveness of state management of minerals in the province, the Provincial People's Council's monitoring delegation recommended that the Provincial People's Committee focus on directing the implementation of 8 groups of tasks and solutions. It is worth noting that it is necessary to direct the review, supplementation and effective implementation of planning for exploration, exploitation, use and protection of resources in mineral activities, meeting the requirements of immediate and long-term socio-economic development, especially the demand for common construction materials; minimize the licensing of exploration and exploitation of non-renewable resources; strengthen the management and protection of unexploited minerals.

The Provincial People's Committee needs to study priority policies and encourage businesses to innovate technology and invest in modern machinery and equipment for effective exploitation and environmental protection.

The working group of the Provincial People's Council supervises a mining site in Quy Hop district. Photo: Mai Hoa

Require mineral enterprises to strictly comply with legal regulations in the process of exploiting, processing and trading minerals, especially in keeping books, invoices and documents; strictly install weighing stations at locations where raw minerals are taken out of mining areas; install surveillance cameras at warehouses to store relevant information and data in accordance with regulations.

It is necessary to issue regulations and assign focal agencies to be responsible for inspecting and handling the installation of cameras and weighing stations by enterprises; regulate the connection of surveillance camera data at warehouses to store information and data of mining units with the Tax Department and Mineral Resources Management Agency to monitor mining output at mines; have measures to strictly control invoices, documents, and origins, prevent the illegal legalization of minerals, and unlicensed mineral enterprises.

A mine in operation in Quy Hop district. Photo: Mai Hoa

Strengthening the direction of implementation and improving the quality of inspection, examination and handling of violations in mineral activities; monitoring and reviewing the remediation and compliance with legal regulations after inspection and examination.

Direct the Department of Finance to advise the Provincial People's Committee to submit to the Provincial People's Council to arrange the use of collected environmental protection fees for environmental protection work at places where mineral exploitation activities take place in accordance with the provisions of Decree No. 164/2016/ND-CP dated December 24, 2016 of the Government on environmental protection fees for mineral exploitation.