Nghe An province has agreed to reduce the number of commune-level administrative units by nearly 68.5%.

On the afternoon of April 14th, the Provincial Steering Committee for the reorganization of administrative units at all levels and the development of a two-tiered local government organizational model held a meeting to discuss key tasks for the coming period.

Comrade Nguyen Duc Trung - Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Steering Committee - chaired the meeting.

Attending the meeting were: Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Comrade Le Hong Vinh - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Comrade Vo Thi Minh Sinh - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; along with other members of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and members of the Provincial Steering Committee.

Avoid a one-size-fits-all, mechanical, and formulaic approach.

At the meeting, the Steering Committee approved the Decision on its establishment; the Steering Committee's work plan; the Notice on the assignment of tasks to Steering Committee members; and the Provincial People's Committee's plan on developing a project for rearranging commune-level administrative units and building a two-tiered local government model.

The Provincial Party Secretary serves as the Head of the Steering Committee, and the Deputy Provincial Party Secretaries serve as Deputy Heads, with the Deputy Secretary - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee serving as the Standing Deputy Head.

The participants included members of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Council, Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee, a number of directors of relevant departments, agencies, and organizations, and Secretaries and Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns in the province.

Opening the meeting, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung, Head of the Provincial Steering Committee, emphasized that the rearrangement and reorganization of administrative units at all levels and the establishment of a two-tiered local government organizational model is a major policy directed by the Central Committee and approved at the 11th Conference of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Over the past period, the province has focused on implementing the reorganization of the political system's apparatus in accordance with the Resolutions, Conclusions, and guidelines of the Central Government.

The province has established a Steering Committee to direct the implementation of the restructuring and reorganization of administrative units at all levels and the development of a two-tiered local government organizational model.

Following the central government's directive, Nghe An province will reorganize its commune-level administrative units, reducing the number by 60-70%. Nghe An currently has 412 commune-level administrative units; based on the central government's directive, the province will have approximately 124-165 commune-level administrative units remaining.

"Time is very tight; the province must complete the plan for rearranging commune-level administrative units and submit it to the Ministry of Interior by May 1, 2025. Therefore, I request that the members of the Steering Committee focus their intellect on discussing and providing feedback on the draft plan," emphasized Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung.

In his report on the draft restructuring plan, Director of the Department of Internal Affairs Nguyen Viet Hung emphasized the principles and basis for developing the plan and stated that the Steering Committee respects the proposals from localities, but must ensure harmony to achieve an overall reduction rate across the province, avoiding a uniform, mechanical, or rigid approach.

The reorganization of commune-level administrative units should be linked to the reform and restructuring of the political system's organizational apparatus towards a streamlined, efficient, and effective operation.

Restructuring and improving the quality of cadres, civil servants, and public employees will ensure that commune-level governments are closer to the people, understand their needs, and serve them better.

At the meeting, the Secretaries of the district, city, and town Party Committees reported specifically on the plan for rearranging commune-level administrative units in their respective areas; they generally agreed with the proposed rearrangement plan; they clarified some issues and proposed some matters regarding the number of administrative units, their names, headquarters, etc.

The Standing Committee members of the Provincial Party Committee and the members of the Provincial Party Committee's Executive Committee analyzed, discussed, and gave opinions on the proposed administrative unit reorganization plans of several localities.

Unified plan to reduce the number of communes by nearly 68.5%

Concluding the meeting, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung emphasized that the implementation of the reorganization of commune-level administrative units and the construction of a two-tiered local government organizational model is an extremely important and significant task.

This is not just about reorganizing the administrative apparatus, but also about decentralizing and delegating authority, rearranging administrative units appropriately, allocating resources, and creating space for development. The biggest and most important goal is to build a government that is close to the people, responsive to their needs, and provides the fastest and most effective service to the people.

Emphasizing the high demands, large workload, and tight timeframe, the Provincial Party Secretary urged the members of the Provincial Steering Committee to focus intensely, demonstrate strong determination, and make great efforts to decisively implement the goals of reorganizing commune-level administrative units and building a two-tiered local government organizational model. All of this work is geared towards the people, placing them at the center, as the subject, the goal, and the driving force for development.

On behalf of the Steering Committee, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung highly appreciated the efforts of the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, and the agencies and localities in proactively and promptly preparing plans to implement the reorganization of administrative units at all levels as quickly as possible when required.

Based on the discussions and consultations of the members, the Provincial Steering Committee unanimously agreed that the reduction rate of commune-level administrative units in Nghe An province will be nearly 68.5%, leaving approximately 130 communes after the reorganization.

Emphasizing that many difficulties still lie ahead, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung urged districts, cities, and towns to focus on overcoming challenges; pay attention to mobilizing the people, and conduct ideological work for cadres, civil servants, and workers to ensure the successful implementation of tasks.

Emphasizing the tasks for the coming period, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung requested that attention be paid to the scale of restructuring, avoiding the idea of ​​dividing the district level into small parts, with the highest priority being to create favorable conditions for the people.

Districts, cities, and towns that have developed appropriate relocation plans should quickly finalize and submit them to the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee; for localities where the plans need adjustment, they should promptly make adjustments and submit them to the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee.

In the proposed reorganization plan, it is recommended to name the districts after their current administrative units at the district level and associate them with sequential numbers. Additionally, historical, cultural, and traditional factors can be considered, but convenience for the people must be ensured.

During implementation, it is necessary to closely follow and promptly update the directives of the Central Government and the province, ensuring that the requirements regarding content and time are met. Particular attention should be paid to propaganda and mobilization efforts to create consensus among cadres, Party members, and all segments of the population.

Assigning tasks to agencies and units, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung requested the Department of Internal Affairs - the Standing Agency of the Provincial Steering Committee - to closely follow the guidance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, promptly concretize detailed instructions for localities on the implementation process, especially regarding the content of soliciting public opinion, and anticipate potential difficulties, proactively developing solutions.

During this process, the Department of Internal Affairs carefully reviewed and evaluated the plans developed by localities, ensuring they met the objectives set by the Central Government. Particular attention was paid to avoiding parochialism in the restructuring process; and regular reports were submitted to the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee to ensure that the progress and timeline of the plan were met.

For districts, cities, and towns, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung requested a review to transfer work from existing administrative units to new ones. During this process, it is necessary to continue focusing on leadership and guidance in carrying out regular tasks, strengthening administrative discipline and order, ensuring work is not interrupted, no areas or fields of work are left vacant, and no impact is placed on services provided to citizens and businesses, especially at the district level.

The Provincial Party Secretary requested the Department of Finance to pay attention to allocating sufficient funds to localities; and to proactively develop appropriate plans for the arrangement and handling of public assets.

The provincial police will provide guidance on the use of seals, recall old seals, register new seals, guide the change of residence address, ensure security and order, and strictly handle violations, especially acts of exploiting the arrangement to incite, distort, and cause panic.

The Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department proactively reviewed and advised on the placement of cadres after the reorganization, assignment, and decentralization. The Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department directed the effective implementation of propaganda work, raising awareness and responsibility among cadres, Party members, and the people regarding the importance, purpose, and significance of the reorganization of administrative units and the establishment of a two-tiered local government organizational model. In particular, they focused on promptly understanding the thoughts and feelings of people in ethnic minority areas, special regions, religious communities, and mountainous areas; proactively guiding public opinion and avoiding information gaps.

The Fatherland Front Committee continues to propagate and mobilize all strata of the people, creating consensus and unity in awareness and action in the implementation of administrative unit rearrangement; effectively carrying out supervision, criticism, and listening to the opinions of the people.