Minister Nguyen Chi Dung and the delegation of the Ministry of Planning and Investment visited, inspected the progress and urged the disbursal of public investment capital in the Tuyen Quang – Ha Giang expressway project (phase 1).
Minister, in 2023, the disbursement of public investment capital is a bright spot, but still faces many difficulties and challenges. What are the lessons learned from the experience in disbursing public investment capital in the past year?
Minister Nguyen Chi Dung: From the beginning of the year, the entire political system has been involved in implementing the public investment plan for 2023. Thanks to the leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Party’s Politburo, the supervision of the National Assembly, the resolute direction of the Government, the Prime Minister, the efforts, and determination of the ministries, central agencies, localities, business communities, the public investment plan for 2023 has achieved some positive results.
The absolute disbursement of public investment capital in 2023 reached over VND 626.3 trillion, the highest ever. Besides the achieved results, there are still some existing limitations and shortcomings that need to be overcome. In my opinion, there are some lessons and experiences that need to be drawn, specifically:
First, it is necessary to synchronize, flexible, resolute, effective, and timely management; to promote the role and responsibilities of the leaders in directing, leading, and organizing the implementation of public investment projects of ministries, central agencies, and localities are the prerequisites for accelerating the progress of disbursement of public investment capital.
Second, further improving the capacity of analysis, planning, and well-prepared investment, timely and effectively resolving issues and difficulties that arise; once a task is assigned, it must be completed, without prolonging, causing congestion, wasting resources.
Third, strictly enforcing discipline and regulations; strengthening decentralization and allocation of resources, improving the enforcement capacity of lower levels and enhancing inspection, supervision, and control of power. The units directly implementing the public investment plan must proactively review and provide timely and accurate information about difficulties and obstacles for management agencies to have policies and solutions promptly and strongly, meeting practical requirements.
Fourth, performing well the policy communication work. Maintaining, strengthening, and improving the effectiveness of coordination among the Party, the State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, political-social organizations to create social consensus in implementing the Party’s guidelines, State laws, especially compensation policies resettlement in public investment projects.
Lastly, strengthening and promoting institutional reform, delegation, empowerment, assignment, urging and enhancing coordination; inspection and supervision of tasks attached to the evaluation and ranking at the end of the year.
The target to strive for in the disbursement of public investment capital in 2024 is to achieve over 95% of the Prime Minister’s assigned plan, ensuring that public investment capital continues to be a seed capital to attract investment from economic components. So, what solutions are needed to promote public investment in 2024, Minister?
Minister Nguyen Chi Dung: To successfully implement the public investment plan in 2024, it requires a spirit of innovation, high political determination, and increased responsibility of all levels, branches from the central to local levels. In which, comprehensive solutions are needed. The first requirement is to determine that public investment is the top priority for consistency in management work. The reality shows that, under the same regime, policies, some ministries, branches, and localities have good disbursement results thanks to thorough and resolute direction from the leaders.
First of all, the proposed solution of fundamental nature to be implemented is to review and improve the legal system regulating the activities of public investment projects. First, promptly fix the identified shortcomings (paying attention to the contents falling within the jurisdiction of the government that require urgent research and submission to the government for amendment) to promote the disbursement of public investment capital, improve capital efficiency, create motivation for socio-economic development.
For ministries, branches, and localities, it is necessary to raise the responsibility and set an example, promote the role of the leaders in leadership, direction, and organization of implementation; periodically review, urge, timely detect, and remove difficulties, problems arising from each project, especially key projects; perform well the investment preparation work, prepare for project implementation, check, review each project to allocate the capital plan for 2024, especially new projects, select projects with adequate investment procedures, meet the capital allocation conditions according to regulations, enhance readiness and feasibility, implementation capacity of the project.
Aggressively and effectively implement solutions to overcome limitations, shortcomings, and correct the investment preparation process, promote the progress of disbursement of public investment capital, and implement 03 national target programs from early 2024.
At the same time, it is necessary to focus on accelerating the progress of some key transport infrastructure projects with national importance. Resolutely implement the Resolution of the National Assembly, review, formulate and adjust, approve technical-specialist planning; review, improve practical and effective mechanisms, policies, and solutions to promote the development of structure infrastructure projects in the form of public-private partnerships.
On this occasion, I also expressed my desire that the National Assembly deputies, people’s councils, enhance their role and responsibilities in supervising the disbursement of public investment capital of their localities, from the selection of projects, investment preparation to site clearance, and project execution organizing…
The completion of hundreds of kilometers of expressways has created regional and local connectivity.
In the past, public investment in the transport sector has made many marks. According to you, how will public investment in important infrastructure projects such as expressways, aviation… contribute to economic development and regional connectivity?
Minister Nguyen Chi Dung: It can be said that a highlight in the past time is that we have restructured public investment, focusing resources on large-scale projects, key transport projects, especially expressway projects.
In the 2016-2020 period as well as when building the mid-term public investment plan for 2021-2025, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has proposed to the Government, the Prime Minister to allocate state budget resources to the transportation sector (in which, the central budget allocated to the transportation sector accounts for about 53.4% of the total central budget investment), of which the Ministry of Transport is allocated nearly VND 300,000 billion from the central budget, the highest among all central ministries, agencies, and localities.
2023 is a year of breakthrough in investment in the development of transport infrastructure. At the beginning of 2023, 12 North-South expressway projects were started simultaneously, 9 projects were inaugurated in the middle of the year, and 4 projects were inaugurated at the end of the year; put into operation in 2023, there are 475 km of expressways, bringing the total length of expressways put into operation to about 1,900 km up to now.
Meanwhile, the construction of 3 East-West expressways, 2 ring roads, Tuyen Quang-Ha Giang expressway, Tan Son Nhat International Airport T3 Terminal, Long Thanh International Airport project… commencing the operation of My Thuan 2 Bridge, Vinh Tuy 2 Bridge, and many other traffic works.
The completion of hundreds of kilometers of expressways has shortened distances, travel time, created regional and local connectivity, connected different types and modes of transportation, making it convenient for transportation vehicles, reducing logistics costs, creating a premise for growth and socio-economic development in the localities and regions that the expressways pass through.
Along with that, the transportation system, especially expressways, has created new economic development spaces, corridors, helping localities to develop socio-economic and attract tourism, attract investors in the industrial and service sectors. Looking ahead, when the North-South expressway system and key transport projects are completed, they will create a closed network of transportation, expressways, thereby improving the regional connectivity of the whole country.
Thank you, Minister./.
