Nghe An promotes the responsibility of leaders in improving administrative reform indexes

Reporter: Administrative reform is one of the three breakthroughs of the 2020-2025 term. Could you please tell us about the province's drastic direction and the outstanding results in recent times?

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:Effective administrative reform is a key factor to improve the province's competitiveness, making an important contribution to building a transparent, honest and effective administrative apparatus; reducing the "burden" of administrative procedures, creating favorable conditions for people and businesses to access public services. This not only strengthens and enhances the trust of people and businesses in the State apparatus, but also creates conditions for integration, promotes sustainable socio-economic development, and improves the quality of life of the community.

Therefore, the 19th Provincial Party Congress of Nghe An, term 2020 - 2025, identified administrative reform as one of the three breakthroughs that need to be focused on.

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Effective administrative reform means reducing the "burden" of administrative procedures, creating favorable conditions for people and businesses to access public services.

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung - Director of the Department of Home Affairs, member of the Steering Committee for Administrative Reform of Nghe An province

Accordingly, the Provincial Party Committee issued two resolutions related to administrative reform, including Resolution No. 05, dated December 14, 2021 on promoting administrative reform in Nghe An province in the period of 2021-2030 and Resolution No. 09, dated August 5, 2022 on digital transformation in Nghe An province by 2025, taking into account the year 2030. Establishing a Steering Committee for administrative reform from the provincial level to the department, branch, and district level, headed by the head of the Party Committee.

In that spirit, the Provincial People's Committee has issued 3 directives on promoting administrative reform. Every year, in addition to issuing programs and plans for implementing administrative reform, the province has also selected 1 topic and 7 pilot implementation units (4 districts, 3 departments and branches).

The theme for 2023 is "Performing public duties and tasks of cadres, civil servants and public employees - Discipline, discipline, responsibility and efficiency". In 2024, "Promoting digital transformation, focusing on improving the rate of implementing online public services throughout the process, the rate of digitizing records, the rate of online payments", "Discipline, responsibility, proactiveness, timeliness, creativity, efficiency", "Clear work content, clear staff department, clear leadership and direction, clear completion time, clear output work products"... Also in 2024, the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform takes the motto of leading and directing administrative reform as "Choosing key tasks - Taking decisive action".

All levels are also very determined to transfer and replace officials and civil servants who have been repeatedly criticized by public opinion for their corrupt behavior, causing difficulties for organizations, people and businesses in handling work in general and handling administrative procedures in particular...

Thanks to the province's strong, focused and key direction, along with the determination, efforts and responsibilities of provincial and local departments, branches and sectors; the province's administrative reform work has undergone comprehensive changes. The results achieved in administrative reform have contributed to the overall achievements in the province's socio-economic development.

Nghe An is one of the leading provinces in implementing Project No. 06/CP, which was commended by the Prime Minister; one of the localities in the country that completed the earliest approval of the job position project with 22 provincial departments, branches, 21 districts, cities, towns and 13 public service units under the Provincial People's Committee.

Nghe An has completed two major projects to submit to the Central Government for appraisal and approval, including: Project to adjust administrative boundaries to expand urban space of Vinh city; Project to arrange administrative units at district and commune levels for the period 2023-2025 and the plan for the period 2026-2030.

The Public Administration Reform Index (PAR INDEX) and the Satisfaction Index of People and Organizations with the Services of State Administrative Agencies (SIPAS) increase annually; in 2023, they will be in the top 15 nationwide.

Reporter:CThe administrative reform is facing a number of difficulties and limitations, including the decline in the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) and the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). Could you elaborate on this issue?

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:In addition to the achievements, administrative reform still has some shortcomings and limitations. Administrative procedures in some areas are still cumbersome and complicated. Digital transformation, e-government and digital government construction still have difficulties and shortcomings.

There are still cases of officials and civil servants avoiding and shirking responsibility and showing signs of harassment and abuse of power. In practice, in recent times, a number of officials and civil servants who violated the law have been prosecuted and accused. This has significantly affected the overall efforts of the entire political system in administrative reform.

On the other hand, among the four indexes related to administrative reform, two indexes on provincial governance and public administration performance (PAPI) and provincial competitiveness index (PCI) of the province have dropped in rank. For the PAPI index, it dropped 10 places, from 15th in 2021 to 17th in 2022 and 25th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide in 2023.

Notably, there are a number of indicators in the low-average group, such as control of corruption in the public sector; public administrative procedures; e-governance; people's participation at the grassroots level; publicity and transparency.

The PCI Index dropped 21 places; from 23rd in 2022 to 44th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide in 2023. Some indexes ranked low compared to the whole country, such as informal costs ranked 63rd out of 63; legal institutions and security and order, ranked 56th out of 63; land access, ranked 55th out of 63; time costs, ranked 52nd out of 63; fair competition, ranked 44th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide.

Reporter:So, according to you, we need to clearly distinguish tWhat are the responsibilities and solutions to overcome limitations in administrative reform in general and improve PCI and PAPI indexes in particular?

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:To overcome shortcomings and limitations in administrative reform, especially to improve and raise the ranking of PCI and PAPI indexes; as the Standing agency of the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform, the Department of Home Affairs has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue Official Dispatch No. 4379, dated May 28, 2024 on overcoming shortcomings and limitations; implementing tasks and solutions to improve the indexes: PARINDEX, SIPAS, PAPI, PCI in 2024 of the province.

In particular, promoting the role and responsibility of sectors, levels and leaders in improving administrative reform indexes; mobilizing collective intelligence and determination of the entire political system; continuing to enhance the spirit and responsibility of cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees.

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The key to improving administrative reform indexes in a substantive and effective manner is to promote the role and responsibility of leaders at all levels, sectors and localities.

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung - Director of the Department of Home Affairs, member of the Steering Committee for Administrative Reform of Nghe An province

Along with that, promote propaganda so that people and businesses can grasp the province's policies and guidelines, the efforts of the entire political system in the province, thereby having an objective view and assessment of the results achieved in the province's administrative reform work.

Along with that, the Department of Home Affairs is continuing to advise the People's Committee on a number of fundamental solutions to overcome existing limitations in administrative reform.

Specifically, advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue a Project to Improve and Enhance the Ranking of Indexes Related to Administrative Reform; Enhance the Sense of Responsibility of Officials, Civil Servants and Public Employees; in which, there should be timely reward mechanisms and policies to motivate and encourage officials, civil servants and public employees to complete their tasks well, along with strict handling of those who do not complete their tasks and violate discipline.

Focus on digital transformation, strongly apply information and communication technology to support administrative reform, increase publicity, transparency and monitoring efficiency. Effectively operate and improve service quality of the Provincial Public Administration Service Center and the "One-stop" department at all levels...

Reporter:Thank you for this exchange!