Long An: Online meeting with Government on implementing Planning Law

Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee - Nguyen Van Ut chaired the online end-point bridge in Long An province

Planning Law approved by the XIV National Assembly, the 4th session on November 24, 2017 and was effective from January 1, 2019.

Deputy Prime Minister - Trinh Dinh Dung said that the Planning Law was first applied in Vietnam. This is a legal basis for all levels and branches to lead and direct and unify in planning activities; it is an important tool to help the State plan, create motivation and development space, ensure the synchronous connection between national planning, regional planning and provincial planning. Since then, it maximizes the country's potential and advantages for fast and sustainable socio-economic development.

Besides, the Planning Law is an important legal tool to accelerate the implementation of strategic breakthroughs in infrastructure development. At the same time, it eliminates overlapping plans, hinders investment and development, creates barriers to market entry of enterprises, goods and services, makes it difficult to mobilize resources and production activities of businesses and people.

The Planning Law also creates a breakthrough in administrative procedure reform, ensures publicity, transparency, fairness in mobilizing, accessing as well as maximizing resources in investment and development activities.

At the meeting, the representative of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) said that Ministries, branches and localities focused on directing and achieved certain results after more than one year implementing the Planning Law and Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP of the Government dated February 5, 2018.

Specifically, the institutional planning has been completed, ensuring synchronization with the Planning Law and the propaganda and training of Planning Law; implementing planning for the period 2021 - 2030 in accordance with the Planning Law; and carrying out planning transition in accordance with the Planning Law.

Some difficulties and obstacles when implementing the Planning Law also arise. Since the Planning Law was passed until it became effective, there was a period of 13 months to carry out the planning transition and develop plans for the period 2021 - 2030 according to the regulations of Planning Law. However, due to the lack of focus on implementing the transition planning task and the delayed issuance of the Decree guiding the implementation of the Planning Law, the results are still limited. Especially, the organization to implement the planning for the period 2021 - 2030 has not met the progress as required.

Participating in discussions at the conference, ministries, sectors and localities focused on discussing the results achieved in implementing the provisions of the Law. At the same time, the delegates raised obstacles, proposed to remove difficulties and agree on how to understand, how to plan in advance, which of the following plans between the national master plan, sector planning and provincial planning.

Long An proposed to the Government to consider and supplement some industrial zones. Later, these industrial zones will be integrated into the provincial and national plans (photo taken at Long Hau industrial zone, Can Giuoc )

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of Long An provincial People's Committee - Nguyen Van Ut said that the provincial People's Committee reported and asked for the policy of Standing Committee of the provincial Party Committee to set up the provincial Planning in the period 2021 - 2030, vision to 2040 in order to implement the Planning Law and the provincial People's Committee has developed a plan to organize implementation, prepare to establish the Council of Planning and the Council’s supporting staff; is being issued to select a consulting unit to set up planning tasks.

However, the organization of planning in Long An province has been slow, embarrassing due to lack of instructions. Now, the Government Decree has been issued, the Circular of the MPI and the provincial People's Committee will accelerate the implementation of the provincial planning according to the prescribed time.

In the process of implementing the Law on Planning, Long An encountered 2 difficulties and problems and proposed the Government and the MPI to soon issue guidelines related to the integration of planning sector, key sectors and products, district level master plan into the provincial plan for provinces to implement.

At the same time, the Government, MPI have the support and orientation for localities in selecting planning consultancy units. In addition, because the deadline for completing planning is too fast, Long An proposed to consider and appoint the contractor for planning consultancy.

In addition, the Long An provincial People's Committee and MPI reported and proposed to the Prime Minister to supplement the planning of Vietnam's industrial parks, but due to the Planning Law, the Government has not resolved yet. Long An proposed to the Government to consider and supplement, after that these industrial zones will be integrated into the provincial and national plans.

Concluding at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister - Trinh Dinh Dung emphasized that the Planning Law needs to be implemented more positively and more strategically in many branches and economic fields in front of the requirements of socio-economic development in the current period as well as for the period 2021 - 2030, especially in the context of the Party Congress at all levels advance to the National Party Congress.

The Deputy Prime Minister asked ministries, branches, and localities to urgently, speed up the progress and must identify as important political tasks of all levels, branches, and localities. Since then, we urgently deploy national planning, regional planning and provincial planning in the period 2021 - 2030 to ensure connection and linkage; providing data and planning documents related and coordinated in the study of building and perfecting the national database system of planning, ensuring synchronization and consistency in operation, exploitation and common use./.

By Mai Huong – Translated by Duc Tam