We propose that the People's Committee of Nghe An province inspect and handle the installation of cameras and weighing stations by mining enterprises.

Overview of the opening session of the 11th meeting of the 18th Provincial People's Council. Comrades Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, 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 Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; and Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, presided over the meeting. 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 present were members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee; the Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; representatives of the Central Organization Department; leaders of provincial departments, agencies and districts, cities and towns.

Nearly 5 trillion VND earned from mining activities.

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

Accordingly, the activitymineralsIt is managed and implemented according to the approved plan, with a total of 610 mining sites and 273 licenses currently in effect.

At the opening session this morning, invited guests 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 and Budget Committee of the Provincial People's Council - report on the results of the Provincial People's Council's thematic supervision on state management of mineral resources in Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Besides planning and licensing, the Provincial People's Committee also directed all levels and sectors to strengthen inspection and supervision work, and from 2016 to the present, 14 mining licenses have been revoked due to non-compliance with the provisions of the law on minerals.

The Provincial People's Committee has also issued a decision approving areas where mining activities are prohibited or temporarily prohibited, and a protection plan for unexploited minerals in accordance with regulations; and is reviewing and inspecting the environmental remediation and restoration plan according to the approved mine closure scheme.

Mineral extraction activities play a crucial role in achieving the province's socio-economic development goals, creating jobs, and increasing annual budget revenue for the locality. Over the five years from 2016 to 2021, revenue from resource taxes, environmental protection fees, and mineral exploitation rights fees exceeded 4,581 billion VND, while mineral export taxes totaled over 378 billion VND.

Delegates attending the session. Photo: Thanh Cuong

5 limitations and shortcomings

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

Illegal mining activities remain quite complex in some localities. Mining and transportation of minerals affect people's lives, cause environmental pollution, damage and degrade transportation infrastructure, and compromise traffic safety and public order.

Delegates attending the session. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Tax revenue losses still persist in mining activities. Some businesses declare incorrect or underreported production figures and use incorrect conversion factors. Some entities declare and pay resource taxes without mining licenses; and the control of the origin and source of minerals is not strictly enforced.

Some businesses have not strictly complied with legal regulations on occupational safety and hygiene, and policies; they have not invested in or improved working conditions, and workers still have to work in conditions with many dangerous and hazardous factors; some mines are operating incorrectly according to design, leading to occupational safety hazards; and the situation of outstanding debts, deliberate evasion, and delayed payment of various types of insurance still occurs in some units.

The provincial People's Council's thematic monitoring team on mineral resource management surveys mining operations at a quarry in Quy Hop district. Photo: Mai Hoa.

The coordination among departments, agencies, and localities in monitoring, inspecting, and handling violations in mining activities by enterprises has been untimely, inconsistent, and not rigorous enough, resulting in many enterprises still violating and repeatedly committing offenses that have already been dealt with.

8 recommendations and proposals

To further improve the effectiveness of state management of mineral resources in the province, the Provincial People's Council's supervisory delegation recommended that the Provincial People's Committee focus on directing the implementation of eight groups of tasks and solutions. Of particular importance is the need to review, supplement, and effectively implement the planning for exploration, exploitation, utilization, and protection of mineral resources, meeting the requirements of socio-economic development in the short and long term, especially the demand for common construction materials; minimize the granting of exploration and exploitation licenses for non-renewable resources; and strengthen the management and protection of unexploited mineral resources.

The Provincial People's Committee needs to study policies that prioritize and encourage businesses to innovate technology and invest in modern machinery and equipment for efficient exploitation, while also protecting the environment.

A delegation from the Provincial People's Council conducts an inspection at a mining site in Quy Hop district. Photo: Mai Hoa.

Businesses involved in mineral extraction are required to strictly comply with legal regulations during the extraction, processing, and trading of minerals, especially regarding the keeping of records and invoices; to strictly install weighing stations at locations where raw minerals are transported out of the mining area; and to install surveillance cameras at storage facilities to record relevant information and data in accordance with regulations.

Regulations need to be issued and a focal agency assigned to be responsible for inspecting and handling the installation of cameras and weighing stations by businesses; regulations should be established for connecting surveillance camera data at storage facilities to store information and data from mining units with the Tax Authority and the Mineral Resources Management Agency to monitor mining output; and measures should be taken to strictly control invoices, documents, and origin of goods, preventing the legalization of illegal mineral activities and the operation of unlicensed mining businesses.

A mining site in operation in Quy Hop district. Photo: Mai Hoa

Strengthen guidance and improve the quality of inspection, examination, and handling of violations in mineral activities; monitor and review the rectification and compliance with legal regulations after inspections and examinations.

The Department of Finance is directed to advise the Provincial People's Committee to submit to the Provincial People's Council a proposal for the allocation and use of the collected environmental protection fees for environmental protection work in areas with mineral exploitation activities, in accordance with the regulations in Government Decree No. 164/2016/ND-CP dated December 24, 2016, on environmental protection fees for mineral exploitation.