At the Conference on Reviewing the Agricultural and Rural Development Sector in 2024 and Deploying the Plan for 2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on the afternoon of December 27, Mr. Le Minh Hoan – Minister of MARD – said: “According to the merger proposal, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is the unified name after the merger of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The structure of the new ministry after the merger will have 30 units, a reduction of 25 units compared to the current 55 units in the organizational structure of the two ministries (corresponding to a reduction rate of over 45%)”
Speaking on this issue, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the MARD to coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to urgently complete the review, report the results of the implementation of Resolution 18-NQ/TW, and submit the merger proposal according to the plan of the Central Steering Committee.
 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks on the merger of the MARD and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. |
The Prime Minister requested that the units focus on improving planning, strategy development, and perfecting the institutional, policy mechanism; removing institutional bottlenecks to promote the sector’s rapid and sustainable development. The process of streamlining and improving the apparatus is based on the following general principles:
First, do not omit any functions and tasks, but rather improve and perfect them thoroughly.
Second, avoid overlapping functions and tasks and minimize intersection.
Third, strengthen decentralization and delegation of power, along with the allocation of resources. At the same time, enhance monitoring and inspection and improve the implementation capacity of lower levels, eliminating intermediary links to avoid causing harassment and inconvenience to people and businesses.
Fourth, be transparent and open, and utilize digital transformation in the apparatus to reduce input costs for people and businesses.
The Prime Minister emphasized: “In particular, the apparatus transformation should not be rigid but flexible, aiming to achieve the common goal of a streamlined and strong apparatus with improved efficiency, reduced units, and a restructured and high-quality cadre of officials and employees. All sacrifices are made for the common goal.”
“I recognize the efforts of the two ministries in reducing the number of units from 55 to 30. With this reduction, there will also be a reduction in administrative procedures. The apparatus streamlining process must be swift and decisive, valuing time, intelligence, and timely action. The apparatus arrangement should be stabilized immediately,” the Prime Minister stressed.
Regarding the merger timeline, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared that the merger of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will be discussed at the Central Committee meeting in January 2025 and approved by the National Assembly in February 2025, after which the official merger will take place. The time frame from now until before January 15 is crucial for the two ministries to complete the merger goals set by the Central Steering Committee.
Thanh Huyen
– 20:15 27/12/2024
