Decision No. 04/2005/NQ-CP of the Government at the regular meeting of the Government in March 2005

RESOLUTION

Regular Government Meeting in March 2005

On March 29 and the morning of March 30, 2005, the Government convened its regular monthly meeting to discuss and adopt the following issues:

1. The Government reviewed the Final Settlement Report on the State Budget for 2003 presented by the Ministry of Finance; and the Audit Report on the State Budget for 2003 presented by the State Audit Office.

In 2003, all financial targets set by the National Assembly were exceeded. The structure of the State budget continued to improve positively. Domestic revenue, oil revenue, and revenue from import-export activities all surpassed the budget estimates, creating conditions for proactive spending to address urgent issues during the year: increasing investment in development; prioritizing spending on education, healthcare, and cultural information development; increasing support for mountainous and Central Highlands regions to develop their economy and society, eradicate poverty; supplementing defense and security funds; setting aside funds for salary reform in 2004.

The results of the 2003 fiscal audit showed progress in the management of state financial resources. However, the audit also pointed out many remaining issues that need further consideration and learning from, such as: budget estimates not accurately reflecting reality; increased revenue not being fundamental or stable due to slow growth in domestic revenue and low growth in revenue from state-owned enterprises; widespread tax evasion, smuggling, and commercial fraud causing significant loss of revenue to the state and negatively impacting the economy; scattered and dispersed investment and arrears in construction projects prevalent in localities; wasteful spending and non-compliance with regulations, standards, and quotas occurring in many units.

The Ministry of Finance and the State Audit Office are instructed to incorporate the opinions of government members, refine the above reports, and submit them to the National Assembly.

2. The Government heard the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment's report on reviewing the land use plans of provinces and centrally-administered cities, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Public Security.

To simplify administrative procedures in reviewing land use plans while adhering to the provisions of the Land Law, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment is authorized by the Prime Minister to submit to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for approval to allow the Prime Minister to review and adjust land use plans of provinces and centrally-administered cities, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Public Security.

3. The Government heard the Minister of Education and Training's report on the Action Program of the Government to implement Resolution No. 37/2004/QH11 of the National Assembly on education.

To implement Resolution No. 37/2004/QH11 of the National Assembly on education, the Government has developed an Action Program, outlining specific and practical tasks to address key and urgent issues in the education sector, namely: reforming educational content, programs, and methods; expanding scale while significantly improving quality and efficiency in education at all levels; perfecting the education system to ensure connectivity and分流后的第二部分翻译如下：

The Ministry of Education and Training is tasked with leading and coordinating with the Government Office and relevant agencies to incorporate the opinions of government members, finalize the Action Program, and submit it to the Prime Minister for issuance.

4. The Government reviewed the Draft Law on Transfer Instruments presented by the State Bank; listened to the Minister, Head of the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of government members on this draft law.

Legal documents issued in our country so far have initially established a legal framework for the issuance and use of important transfer instruments in commercial credit relations, such as promissory notes and checks. However, the contents of these documents still have many shortcomings, some provisions are unfeasible and inconsistent with international practices. Enacting the Law on Transfer Instruments aims to meet the objective requirements of the economy; timely institutionalize the Party's policies in the field of finance and banking, meet the requirements of economic integration and improve the legal system.

In general, the Government agrees with the scope of regulation and content of the draft law. As for the name of the law, two options should be proposed for the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to decide.

The State Bank is instructed to lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office, and relevant agencies to incorporate the opinions of government members, finalize the draft law to ensure its feasibility when enacted; the Governor of the State Bank is authorized by the Prime Minister to submit this draft law to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

5. The Government reviewed the Draft Law on Thrift and Anti-Waste presented by the Ministry of Finance; listened to the Minister, Head of the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of government members on this draft law.

Currently in our country, waste is a common phenomenon and sometimes serious, especially in the management and use of state budget funds, state capital and assets, labor in the public sector, and natural resources. To effectively promote thrift and combat waste, it is extremely necessary to build a comprehensive, feasible, and consistent Law on Thrift and Anti-Waste with existing laws and ordinances.

The Ministry of Finance shall take the lead, coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office, and relevant agencies to incorporate opinions from government members, continue to refine the draft Law, and submit it to the Prime Minister for a decision on presenting it to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly. Note that only contents that are clear, highly feasible, and have specific sanctions should be included in the Law; provisions regarding thrift and anti-waste already mentioned in other Laws such as the Construction Law, the State Budget Law, the Land Law, etc., need to be specifically defined with sanctions in this Law to enhance feasibility in implementation. The draft Law also needs to supplement certain measures such as administrative cost allocation, vehicle usage regulations, and standard usage levels for state assets in administrative units, public service organizations, state-owned enterprises, and political and social organizations.

Pending the issuance of the Law on Thrift and Anti-Waste, the Government, sectors, levels, and mass media shall intensify propaganda and organization to effectively implement current regulations on thrift and anti-waste; combat and criticize violations. It is suggested that the Vietnam Fatherland Front and various mass organizations launch a nationwide movement to promote thrift and anti-waste, making these practices truly a "national policy" in the consciousness of every citizen.

6. The Government shall consider the Report on the Economic and Social Situation and the Results of the March Production and Investment Meeting and the First Quarter of 2005 presented by the Ministry of Planning and Investment; the Report on Trade in March 2005, the First Quarter of 2005, and the Market Forecast for the Second Quarter of 2005 presented by the Ministry of Commerce.

In March and the First Quarter of 2005, despite facing many difficulties due to natural disasters, epidemics, and high prices of many important goods on the world market, the national economy continued to grow, particularly in agricultural production; education, training, healthcare, culture, and social activities made considerable progress. In the first quarter, ministries, sectors, and localities strictly implemented the resolutions of the National Assembly, the Government, and directives of the Prime Minister, allocating investment construction funds according to the assigned industry structure and source of funds; part of the 2005 plan was allocated to settle previous construction debts. However, the GDP growth rate and the growth rate of many economic sectors were lower than planned; industrial output increased at a low rate; export turnover and service added value did not increase significantly; price levels remained high; traffic safety conditions showed no significant improvement; crime, especially drug-related crimes, increased.

To successfully implement the 2005 plan, the Government requests ministries, sectors, and localities to concentrate on vigorously and comprehensively implementing measures to boost economic sector growth, particularly industrial production, and quickly implement the state budget construction investment plan in accordance with Resolution No. 36/2004/QH11 of the National Assembly and Resolution No. 01/2005/NQ-CP of the Government. Ministers shall directly oversee reviews of each product, take specific measures to overcome difficulties to develop production, eliminate unnecessary fees, maximize domestic raw material sources to reduce production costs and product prices, especially in key industries such as mining, steel, electricity, cement, chemical fertilizers, textiles; accelerate state enterprise reform; implement effective measures to prevent natural disasters, avian influenza, and production difficulties; create jobs and stabilize the lives of people affected by natural disasters; strengthen trade promotion and export efforts; focus on mobilizing investment funds, especially domestic capital and foreign direct investment through resolving difficulties for businesses developing production and business operations; continue to effectively implement measures to control commodity and service consumption price increases, traffic accidents; combat social evils, HIV/AIDS.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take the lead, coordinate with the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Commerce, the Government Office, and relevant agencies to organize meetings with localities with large-scale industrial production to prepare for organizing specialized conferences of the Prime Minister with state-owned holding companies, foreign-invested enterprises (FDI), and key provinces and cities in the North, Central, and South regions on industrial production to discuss measures to boost industrial production, reduce costs, control price increases, expand domestic and international markets, and promote exports. These conferences will be held in April 2005.