Building plans needs to be focused, ensuring rapid and sustainable development.

On the morning of August 27, the Ministry of Planning and Investment held an online conference on developing socio-economic development and public investment plans for 2021 and the 2021-2025 period in the Central and Central Highlands regions. Photo: VGP

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said that localities must re-evaluate where they are, what they have, in what direction they will develop, what are the focuses, pillars, and resources? With a new vision, we plan our future, we must have a bolder, more innovative vision to have solutions to strive to narrow the development gap between regions.

LOW GROWTH, NOT WORTHY OF POTENTIAL

The Central region includes 14 provinces and cities, is an especially important area in terms of politics, socio-economy, national defense and security, playing a strategic role in the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

According to the report of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the growth rate in the first 6 months of the year in the Central region is estimated to decrease by 0.68%; many provinces and cities have negative growth. The growth rate in the first 6 months of the year in Nghe An is 2.69% and is forecast to be 7.45% by the end of 2020; the second highest in the region.

At Nghe An bridge, comrade Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired. Attending were departments and branches: Planning and Investment, Finance, Construction, Transport, Culture and Sports... Photo: Pham Bang

The region's state budget revenue in the first 7 months reached 97,311 billion VND; attracted 908 projects with a total investment capital of 16.1 billion USD. The region's public investment disbursement rate in the first 8 months reached 49.6%. Nghe An and Ha Tinh are localities with high disbursement rates.

Regarding the results of the 2016 - 2020 period, the GRDP growth rate of the Central region averaged 6.8-7%/year; ranking 3rd among the 6 regions of the country. The Central Highlands region alone reached 6.5% but was uneven among localities in the region.

A separate assessment of the Central region shows that the region's growth momentum is still weak; the marine and coastal economy has not developed commensurate with its potential; it has not demonstrated its role as a growth nucleus and a locomotive leading the regional economy; budget revenue is not sustainable; the quality of human resources is still low; the poverty rate is still high...

The development orientation for the 2021-2025 period of the Central region is to become a dynamically developing region, associated with rapid and sustainable marine economic development. Focus on modern industry and services; combine ensuring national defense, security, and reducing damage caused by natural disasters and climate change.

The region's public investment capital demand is 138,700 billion VND; of which, the local budget is 60,900 billion VND; ODA capital is 11,700 billion VND; Central budget capital is 66,000 billion VND. For the entire period of 2021 - 2025, the total public investment capital demand of the region is 713,990 billion VND, 3 times higher than the period of 2016 - 2020. Of which, capital from land revenue is more than 114,000 billion VND; Central budget capital is 440,000 billion VND.

NGHE AN PROPOSALS TO ALLOCATE CAPITAL FOR MANY PROJECTS

Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa focused on discussing some difficulties and obstacles in the implementation of the plan. Nghe An requested the Ministry of Planning and Investment to direct the General Statistics Office to soon announce the estimated GRDP implementation data in 2020 as a basis for developing socio-economic development plan indicators for the period 2021-2025 and 2021.

Nghe An also requested the Ministry of Planning and Investment to promptly submit to the Prime Minister a Decision on principles, criteria, and norms for allocating development investment capital from the state budget for the 2021-2025 period and promptly announce the expected investment capital level for the 2021-2025 period so that localities have a basis for implementation; Consider prioritizing resources for investment in 2021, at least equal to the 2020 plan;...

Comrade Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee spoke at the conference. Photo: Pham Bang

According to the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Nghe An is preparing the best conditions to welcome the wave of investment in the Southeast Economic Zones. Therefore, Nghe An hopes that the Ministry of Planning and Investment will consider and allocate capital for key projects of Nghe An province, especially projects in the Southeast Economic Zone such as routes N2, D4; Road N5;...

At the conference, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong said that the Ministry will soon submit to the Prime Minister a Decision on criteria and principles for allocating development investment capital for the 2021-2025 period to serve as a basis for ministries, branches and localities to allocate public investment capital in 2021 and the 2021-2025 period.

The leaders of the Ministry of Planning and Investment also said that localities must clearly define goals, avoid spreading, and arrange in order of priority from the 2021 public investment plan in accordance with the 5-year medium-term public investment plan 2021 - 2025, the ability to balance investment capital sources, the ability to implement, and the disbursement progress of each project in 2021.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong delivered a concluding speech at the conference. Photo: VGP

Prioritize large-scale projects, dynamic projects and projects with positive spillover effects on the socio-economic development of the region and locality. New investment projects in the period of 2021-2025 must be linked to regional and provincial planning and aim to resolve bottlenecks and congestion of each locality and region in the direction of connection, creating new development momentum for the locality.

Regarding the socio-economic development plan for the 2021-2025 period, localities need to ensure consistency, connection, inheritance and development of achievements of the 2016-2020 period; at the same time, continue to strongly innovate with strategic thinking and vision to propose strategies, plans and solutions for socio-economic development for the 2021-2025 period in accordance with the potential and advantages of the locality.

In addition, localities need to use resources most economically and effectively, especially land resources; resolutely reclaim unimplemented investment projects and allocate land beyond demand. At the same time, strengthen management and strictly control the adjustment of investment projects to minimize loss of State budget revenue and prevent waste.