Consensus and high determination for the start of a new term

(Baonghean) - The year 2015 ended with many important events for the country in general and Nghe An province in particular. Looking back at a memorable year - the closing year of the 2010 - 2015 term - marked by improvements in all aspects of the economy and society. Nghe An Newspaper interviewed comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong visited and presented gifts to officers and workers constructing the Passenger Terminal Project - Vinh Airport. Photo: Thanh Duy

Reporter:Dear comrade, can you give an overview of the results that Nghe An achieved in 2015?

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong:First of all, it must be affirmed that 2015 was a successful year for the Party Committee, government and people of Nghe An province in many aspects. Politically, we are pleased to welcome many important events such as the successful organization of Party Congresses at all levels, towards the 12th National Congress of the Party; the Patriotic Emulation Congress of Nghe An province, the National Patriotic Emulation Congress for the period 2010 - 2015. Foreign affairs and diplomatic activities at home and abroad took place vigorously. Nghe An coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to successfully organize the program "Meeting with Localities - Diplomatic Corps 2015", meeting and working with diplomatic representatives of 33 countries and international organizations.

In terms of economy, there are signs of recovery higher than in recent years, which is a positive signal in the context of the general economic recovery being slower than forecast. GRDP in 2015 is estimated at 58,884 billion VND, up 7.43%, higher than the growth rate of recent years (2012 increased by 5.07%, 2013 increased by 6.01%, 2014 increased by 6.77%) and higher than the average growth rate of the whole country (estimated at 6.5%). All economic sectors grew compared to the same period: agriculture - forestry - fishery increased by 3.97%; industry - construction increased by 10.95%; services increased by 6.89%; product tax increased by 10.06%. The economic structure shifted in a positive direction.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visits the exhibition at the groundbreaking ceremony of VSIP Nghe An Project. Photo: Sy Minh

Looking specifically at each economic region, some outstanding achievements can be mentioned as follows:

In agriculture, despite unfavorable conditions, the total annual food output is estimated at 1.213 million tons - the year with the highest food output in recent years; in particular, this is the year with a sharp increase in corn output (up 22.68% compared to 2014). Perennial industrial crops and fruit trees such as oranges, rubber, and tea buds also yielded good yields, 4 - 7.5% higher than the previous year. Livestock and aquaculture have all developed well. Therefore, the annual agricultural, forestry and fishery production value increased by 4.58% compared to 2014. Focusing on building new rural areas, the rural appearance has clearly changed, especially the economic and social infrastructure. It is expected that by the end of 2015, the whole province will have 114 communes meeting new rural standards.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

In industry and construction, 2015 witnessed quite good growth after many years of stagnation (production value increased by more than 12% compared to 2014). Many major projects have been put into operation during the year such as: Hoa Sen Steel Factory, Royal Foods Factory, Song Lam 2 Cement Factory, Masan Factory,... In addition, we have also inaugurated many important projects in basic construction such as: Vinh Airport Passenger Terminal, railway overpass (Quan Banh section), National Highway 1A through Nghe An, Tay Nghe An Road, Chau Thon - Tan Xuan Road, Truong Bon Historical Site, basically opening National Highway 1A - Nghia Dan - Thai Hoa,... Some key projects have been started such as: VSIP Nghe An Urban and Service Industrial Park, Song Lam Cement Factory, Raw Water Supply Factory, Yen Xuan Road Bridge over Lam River, DKC Nghi Loc Petroleum Depot, Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant,... Completed grid power supply for 16 communes without electricity before December 30, 2015.

The service sector has developed quite well, with production value increasing by 7.19% compared to 2014, in which trade and banking and finance are the two sectors with the best growth. Budget revenue in the first 11 months of the year reached 7,993.3 billion VND, up 19.75% over the same period; in which, domestic revenue increased by 22.54% over the same period. The whole year is estimated to reach about 10,038 billion VND.

Investment promotion and attraction activities have increasingly improved in quality, attracting many large-scale projects, famous investors such as Sembcorp Group, Becamex, Royal Foods, BSE, Ton Hoa Sen, The Vissai, Hoang Phat, Masan,... Accumulated to November 30, 2015, Nghe An province has newly issued and adjusted Investment Certificates for 151 projects, including 112 new projects with a total registered investment of nearly 87,404 billion VND.

The ceremony to honor Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs was held in January 2015 at Ho Chi Minh Square.

The cultural and social fields continued to maintain stability, ensuring social security, creating a favorable environment for economic development. In particular, in 2015, many major cultural events were successfully organized, such as the Ceremony to honor Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the National Lotus Village Festival and the Central Ethnic Culture Festival in 2015; Inauguration of Truong Bon historical relic site and implementation of the Truong Bon - Immortal Epic Program; Commencement of construction of Phan Boi Chau memorial house, Ho Tung Mau memorial house, etc. Poverty reduction work continued to receive attention and direction, the poverty rate decreased from 10.28% to about 7.5%, and people's lives were increasingly improved.

It can be said that 2015 ended the 2010 - 2015 term on a good note, a year in which we made efforts in all aspects to achieve the targets of the 17th Provincial Party Congress Resolution at the highest level, towards the 2015 - 2020 term with a new mindset, a solid premise and more reasonable, faster and more sustainable development orientations.

Reporter:Besides the positive results, can you tell us about the limitations and shortcomings that we need to recognize and find ways to overcome to move towards higher goals in 2016 and beyond?

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong:Besides the above remarkable achievements, it is necessary to seriously acknowledge that the implementation of the socio-economic development tasks in 2015 still has some limitations and shortcomings.

There are 3/27 expected targets that did not meet the set plan, which are: Service production value increased only 7.19%/ Plan 8-9%; Economic structure shifted slowly, the proportion of industry - construction and services did not reach the set target; The number of national standard schools accumulated to the end of the year is estimated at 927/ Plan 987. The economy recovered quite well but not comprehensively, some areas continued to face difficulties: agricultural production was affected by weather and epidemics; some industrial products production decreased compared to the same period; many enterprises owed taxes and social insurance; some key projects were behind schedule;...

Regarding administrative reform, although efforts have been made, progress in many places is still slow and lacks uniformity. The one-stop mechanism in some units is still a formality; some units have not really accompanied businesses in handling administrative procedures.

Regarding security, social order and safety are still complicated. Sophisticated crimes such as abuse of trust to appropriate property, fraud, drug trafficking, etc. tend to increase; illegal migration and deforestation still occur;...

In addition to objective causes such as general difficulties in the country and the world, weather and epidemic developments, there is a significant subjective cause coming from the lack of synchronization in coordination, direction and implementation of development policies. Sometimes, the urging and direction of sectors and levels are not resolute, specific, and close to the grassroots. Sometimes, the initiative and mobilization of internal resources of the grassroots are still weak. These are limitations that we can and need to overcome, because they are problems coming from people, from thinking and awareness, responsibility for the common good.

Reporter:Dear comrade, could you please tell us the development orientation and goals set for Nghe An in 2016?

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong:Continuing to implement Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW of the Politburo on the direction and tasks of developing Nghe An province until 2020, Resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress, the development focus in 2016 is determined to be improving the quality of growth, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy. To achieve that general goal, it is necessary to implement specific solutions such as: strongly improving the investment environment, expanding foreign relations, mobilizing and effectively using resources, ensuring social security and welfare, practicing thrift, strengthening the work of preventing and combating corruption, etc.

Some notable targets in socio-economic development in 2016 are: GRDP increased by 8-9%; GDP/person reached 30-31 million VND; budget revenue reached over 10,281 billion VND; the whole province strives to have 30 more communes meeting 19/19 criteria on new rural construction; reduce the poverty rate by 2-3%; create 37-38 thousand new jobs...

To do that, all levels and sectors need to thoroughly grasp, develop and implement action plans and programs in the spirit of the Resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress, the Socio-Economic Development Plan for the period 2016 - 2020 and 2016 right from the beginning of the year. In particular, focusing on promoting resources from investors and enterprises; promoting the application of scientific and technological advances and information and communication work; strengthening state management, improving the effectiveness of direction, operation and coordination. Only then can we create a consensual environment, a solid foundation and a strong driving force for Nghe An to make a breakthrough in 2016, in the spirit of implementing the general orientation of Resolution 26, becoming the socio-economic center of the North Central region.

Reporter:Thank you very much, comrade!

Thuc Anh