Resolution No. 08/1999/NQ-CP on solutions for managing and implementing tasks in the last six months of 1999

RESOLUTION

On measures to direct the implementation of tasks for the last six months of 1999

On July 5 and 6 1999, the Government convened its regular session for June 1999 and decided on several measures needed to focus on directing the implementation of the plan for the last six months of 1999 as follows:

A. SITUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TASKS AND PLANS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1999

In the first six months of 1999, the Government focused on synchronizing the direction of the implementation of key tasks in the Government's work program: investment in the agricultural and rural areas; removing bottlenecks in production and business operations to facilitate investment and development by the people and enterprises; implementing stimulus measures and mobilizing internal resources; creating better conditions for foreign direct investment; promoting reforms and effectively managing financial and monetary affairs; intensifying diplomatic activities; implementing programs to eliminate poverty and build infrastructure in 1,000 particularly difficult communes; combating criminal offenses and social evils, continuing the campaign against drug abuse...

In directing and managing, the Government promptly formulated appropriate policies, focusing on key priorities according to the work program set at the beginning of the year, with the highest determination to achieve the tasks outlined in the economic and social development plan. As a result, despite many difficulties and challenges, the situation of the economy and society in the first six months of 1999 continued to be stable; the economy maintained growth; cultural and social fields made progress; political security and public order were maintained; international relations were further expanded.

However, the economic and social situation also revealed many weaknesses, notably: the GDP growth rate was lower than in previous years, industrial production grew slowly, inventory levels increased, the domestic market remained sluggish; construction investment did not show positive changes, state investment was slow, foreign direct investment decreased significantly, corporate and individual investment remained stagnant; the number of unemployed or underemployed people continued to increase; some social evils, especially drug abuse, prostitution, persisted and complicated; violations of discipline, rules, and laws remained serious in social life.

B. MEASURES TO MANAGE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TASKS FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS OF 1999

In the last six months of 1999, while continuing to direct the implementation of previously proposed measures, the Government will focus on implementing seven major groups of measures as follows:

I. MEASURES TO STIMULATE INVESTMENT AND CONSUMPTION TO LEVERAGE INTERNAL RESOURCES AND ENCOURAGE PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.

1. Concentrate on directing the implementation of measures to mobilize and disburse funds to ensure the total investment capital for construction projects planned at the beginning of the year.

a) By July 1999, all Ministries, sectors, and localities need to review and assess the overall situation of the implementation of construction projects funded by the State budget in 1999; for those projects that have achieved certain quantities of work, expedite the completion of procedures for payment and advance payments for the quantities already completed according to regulations.

The Ministry of Finance will implement advance payments of 40-50% of the remaining value of the 1999 plan to accelerate construction progress.

b) For outstanding construction debts from 1996-1997, the Prime Minister has issued decisions for settlement and has notified relevant Ministries, sectors, and localities. These entities need to urgently complete documentation to settle these debts definitively in the third quarter of 1999.

c) For projects using Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds, Ministries, sectors, and localities need to concentrate on resolving difficulties and implementing measures to speed up disbursement according to plans. First, they should closely guide and coordinate economic, administrative, propaganda, and educational measures to properly address land acquisition and clearance issues. In July 1999, the Ministry of Finance will lead the preparation of a proposal on tax policy for ODA projects to be submitted to the Prime Minister.

d) Regarding investment credit, the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank will direct lending institutions to quickly mobilize 7.4 trillion dong for loans according to the target specified in Decision No. 146/1999/QĐ-TTg dated July 1, 1999, of the Prime Minister. Ministries, sectors, and localities need to direct the preparation of loan investment projects; thoroughly review all investment credit projects, and promptly appraise and approve projects with good prospects for repayment according to regulations, ending the situation where "funds await projects."

đ) The State Bank will direct commercial banks to prioritize funding for loans to economic sectors involved in shrimp exports, plantation crops, fruit trees, forestry, and processing of agricultural, forest, and aquatic products at reasonable interest rates; they must closely monitor borrowers to promptly resolve difficulties and procedural issues, facilitating loan access. The State Bank will study and soon implement expanding loan limits for farmers based on their production needs by profession, changing collateral requirements for loans to allow farmers without land use certificates to borrow if they can provide confirmation from the commune People's Committee regarding the area of land they are using and there are no disputes.

e) For foreign direct investment capital sources, it is necessary to direct the implementation of Decision No. 53/1999/QĐ-TTg dated March 26, 1999 of the Prime Minister on certain measures to encourage foreign direct investment; the Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take the lead in coordinating with relevant ministries and sectors to monitor the implementation process and propose further measures to resolve difficulties for submission to the Prime Minister, thereby creating favorable conditions for ongoing investment projects and production and business activities, aiming to minimize the decline in foreign direct investment to the lowest extent possible. In August 1999, the Ministry of Planning and Investment shall submit to the Prime Minister a proposal regarding criteria allowing joint ventures to convert into wholly foreign-owned enterprises and new investments under this method.

2. Mobilize an additional 40,000 billion VND from state budget capital sources to supplement transportation, irrigation, health, education projects; for the clean water supply program in mountainous areas, remote regions; for the employment generation, spontaneous migration, and economic and social development programs in poor border communes not yet covered by the 1,000 poor commune investment program.

The aforementioned capital shall be prioritized for projects that need to accelerate construction progress to be put into use in 1999 and 2000; allocate sufficient counterpart funds for ODA projects; urgent projects in the transportation, irrigation, health, and education sectors that have completed necessary procedures but lacked funding at the beginning of the year.

3. Implement stimulus measures in the field of infrastructure construction in rural areas.

a) By July 1999, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall take the lead in building and submitting to the Government a plan for reinforcing canals and ditches with a mechanism for mobilizing capital: for reinforcing inter-district and inter-commune canals and ditches, the investment capital will be sourced from agricultural land use tax and annual water fees, if insufficient, it will be borrowed from preferential credit sources, with the state budget covering the interest rate differential; for reinforcing intra-village and intra-field canals and ditches, the people contribute labor while the state provides construction materials. Initially, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall implement this well in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces, then draw lessons to expand to other localities.

By July 1999, the Ministry of Finance shall guide localities on the use of revenues from agricultural land use tax, water fees, and other sources to reinforce canals and ditches.

b) By August 1999, the Ministry of Transport shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to build and submit to the Government a plan for upgrading rural road surfaces. The upgrading of rural road surfaces shall be implemented through a mechanism where the people contribute and the state subsidizes part of the costs.

The State shall allocate a preferential credit amount for provincial and municipal budgets to borrow for constructing reinforced canal and ditch projects, upgrading rural road surfaces, and rural electrification within the scope of budget investment to accelerate implementation progress, with provincial and municipal budgets allocating funds for repayment over several subsequent years. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Bank to determine the capital requirements for lending in 1999 for submission to the Prime Minister for decision.

4. Implement measures to support product consumption and increase consumer purchasing power.

a) Ministries and sectors need to direct and guide enterprises to implement comprehensive measures to improve product quality and reduce production costs, including plans to lower prices on some products, especially those with large inventories or essential goods.

For products with large inventories such as coal, cement, and construction steel, a deferred payment sales method may be implemented for consumers, with the state extending loan repayment periods for banks and extending tax payment deadlines corresponding to the value of deferred payment goods. In July 1999, the State Bank and the Ministry of Finance shall issue guidelines for implementing this mechanism.

In July 1999, the Prime Minister shall issue a mechanism for installment sales to promote the consumption of certain domestically produced goods.

b) Ministries and localities shall strictly implement measures to facilitate farmers' agricultural product sales, with the key measure being the active search for markets and encouragement of participation in exports.

c) Expand the model of linkage between processing facilities and raw material production bases through long-term economic contracts. Processing facilities shall provide financial support, materials, seeds, and technical assistance to raw material production bases. For agricultural products not processed, organize direct purchases and assist farmers in selling their entire product inventory. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall direct the implementation of this.

II. MEASURES TO ENCOURAGE EXPORTS.

1. By July 1999, the Ministry of Finance shall submit to the Prime Minister for approval the establishment of an Export Support Fund to support and encourage agricultural product exports. The fund's capital shall be partially sourced from the price difference revenue from import and export transactions, fees for quota issuance for imports and exports, and fees for export certificate issuance (C/O). Initially, the remaining capital of the Price Stabilization Fund shall be transferred to serve as the initial capital of the Export Support Fund.

2. The Ministry of Trade, together with relevant sectors, shall negotiate with countries such as Russia, Iraq, Iran... to increase the volume of agricultural product exports like rubber, tea, meat, fruits and vegetables... through barter trade or deferred payment methods. The state shall have policies to finance agricultural product exports to these markets.

3. The Ministry of Trade shall strictly direct trading enterprises in negotiations with suppliers or partners, combining the import of machinery and equipment with the export of domestic goods, and limiting the trade deficit.

4. The Ministry of Finance shall study and submit to the Prime Minister by August 1999 a system for commission payments in transactions to boost exports.

III. FINANCIAL AND MONETARY POLICIES.

1. In July 1999, the Ministry of Finance will study to submit to the Government proposals for amending certain regulations on value-added tax to address difficulties faced by enterprises; review the minimum price list for export and import taxes to ensure compatibility; examine adjustments to the refund mechanism and strictly direct the organization and implementation thereof to create favorable conditions for enterprises to boost exports.

2. The Ministry of Finance will coordinate with other ministries and localities to focus on directing the tax and customs sectors to closely monitor production and business activities to collect all due revenues according to the law; strengthen inspections and supervision to prevent revenue losses, arrears, and hidden tax evasion; strictly manage budget expenditures, inspect and guide the implementation of cost-saving measures, and allocate reserve funds from the budget for urgent tasks in accordance with regulations.

3. The State Bank of Vietnam will urgently complete guiding documents for the implementation of the Law on the State Bank of Vietnam and the Law on Credit Organizations.

In July 1999, submit to the Prime Minister a proposal to abolish the ceiling on interest rates and switch to managing interest rates based on a basic rate in accordance with the Law on the State Bank of Vietnam.

Continue to perfect lending mechanisms, enhance the appraisal capacity and responsibility of credit organizations; direct commercial banks to closely follow the grassroots level, understand production, business operations, and borrowing needs of borrowers, allocate sufficient capital for loans to promptly meet production and business capital requirements while ensuring the effectiveness of such loans.

Closely monitor domestic and international market developments to flexibly adjust exchange rates, encourage exports, control imports, increase remittances through banks, and increase foreign currency reserves.

IV. MEASURES TO STABILIZE THE INVESTMENT AND PRODUCTION BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND CONTINUE REORGANIZING STATE ENTERPRISES.

1. The Ministry of Planning and Investment will urgently implement guidance on the implementation of the Enterprise Law to create a stable and equal business environment for various types of enterprises.

2. The Land Administration Bureau will coordinate with provinces and cities to direct the implementation of measures to accelerate the issuance of land use right certificates for agricultural land, forestry land, and rural residential land in accordance with Directive No. 18/1999/CT-TTg dated July 1, 1999, issued by the Prime Minister.

3. Ministries, sectors, and localities will continue to direct the implementation of plans for equitization and transfer, lease, or sale of state-owned enterprises. Urgently issue a Government Decree on the transfer, sale, lease, or assignment of state-owned enterprises; establish a fund to encourage equitization; simultaneously, study adjustments to the mechanism for determining the value of equitized enterprises, abolishing the restriction on the purchase ratio. The Ministry of Finance will study and submit to the Prime Minister a plan to restructure the debt of enterprises undergoing equitization and transfer, sale, lease, or assignment of state-owned enterprises as follows: debts to the state budget that have been determined as unrecoverable should be written off; unrecoverable bank debts should be written off or suspended, accompanied by financial measures against the banks.

4. In August 1999, the Ministry of Planning and Investment will submit a pilot plan to sell the state's share in joint ventures with foreign countries to domestic investors to create additional channels for domestic capital mobilization and contribute to generating state budget revenue; sell back the state's shares in state-owned enterprises that no longer require state ownership; coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries and sectors to guide the implementation of the Prime Minister's Decision on selling shares to foreign investors to mobilize capital and technology, improve production and business efficiency, and expand investment development markets.

V. FOCUS ON DIRECTING POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND SUPPORT FOR DIFFICULT COMMUNITIES.

1. Relevant ministries, sectors, and provinces, cities will strictly and urgently direct the implementation of the National Program on Poverty Alleviation. Provinces and cities will urgently assist particularly difficult poor communes in building projects and quickly completing necessary procedures to disburse funds; at the same time, provide temporary funding to communes to implement approved projects and constructions; strengthen inspection and supervision to ensure that funds reach the people and prevent loss and waste.

Implement a regular monthly reporting system on the implementation of this program to timely direct and take measures to resolve difficulties and obstacles during implementation.

2. The Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas will cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities to develop solutions to prevent spontaneous migration; focus on stabilizing the lives of highland residents and poor border communes. Develop combined agriculture and forestry models on steep lands and guide the transfer of techniques to individual households to address migration, shifting cultivation, deforestation for slash-and-burn farming, or logging for industrial crops.

3. The Ministry of Health will cooperate with the National Committee for Population and Family Planning to implement programs to develop primary healthcare in poor areas and poor communes; cooperate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance to develop solutions to address difficulties in health insurance for four million poor people. The Ministry of Education and Training will implement programs to develop education in poor areas, consolidate and build schools, attract children of ethnic minorities and poor families to study, implement tuition-free policies and preferential policies for children of poor families.

VI. SOCIAL SECTOR.

1. Implement measures to combat and prevent drug abuse among young people. The Ministry of Education and Training will cooperate with the Ministry of Public Security and local authorities, especially in large cities, to continue implementing plans to clean up the environment and prevent drug addiction among students and college students, promptly curb and reverse, and ultimately eliminate drug abuse among students and college students fundamentally.

2. To reduce traffic accidents, it is necessary Strengthen propaganda and education to enhance awareness of traffic law compliance; at the same time, continue to direct the implementation of Government Decree No. 36/CP and take strict measures to inspect and handle violations of traffic regulations.

3. Continue to direct the implementation of health, education, training, science, technology, culture, physical education and sports, national defense, security... sectors according to assigned tasks and programs.

4. The Ministry of Finance shall coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to consider and implement a one-time subsidy for policy beneficiaries in the last six months of 1999.

VII. ON GUIDANCE AND ADMINISTRATION.

1. Ministries, sectors, and localities need to develop programs, plans, and specific measures to continue strongly and effectively implementing the Government's Action Program to implement Resolution No. 6 (first session) of the Central Committee, the Political Bureau's Resolution on agricultural and rural development, the National Assembly's Resolution on tasks for 1999, the Government's Work Program for 1999, and the solutions outlined in this Resolution.

2. Emphasize responsibility and promote the role of government members in following up and assisting localities; government members must have plans to coordinate with provincial chairpersons to effectively guide the implementation of work. After this meeting, government members will specifically work with provinces and cities under their supervision to inform them of the content and organizational measures for implementing this Resolution.

3. Strengthen information and reporting work, inspection work on the implementation of the Government's Resolution and the Prime Minister's Decision.

a) Ministries, sectors, and localities must strictly implement the information and reporting system according to the Government's Working Regulations, creating a smooth flow of information, promptly identifying bottlenecks and difficulties, and proactively resolving them within their authority; proposing specific solutions to quickly resolve difficulties... to help the Prime Minister timely handle and manage.

Heads of ministries, sectors, and localities need to directly guide inspection work and urge the implementation of the Government's Resolution and the Prime Minister's Decision.

b) The Government Office needs to regularly monitor and urge ministries, sectors, and localities in the implementation of the Work Program, the Government's Resolution, and the Prime Minister's Decision, particularly focusing on key areas of work; promptly report and propose recommendations to the Prime Minister to take corrective measures and address violations...

c) Ministries and sectors need to frequently understand and reflect the opinions of businesses and investors regarding the issuance, organization of implementation, and feasibility of state mechanisms and policies.

d) Monthly, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers organize meetings with ministries and sectors under their oversight to review and assess the implementation situation for the month, propose further guidance measures, and compile these into a general report prepared by the Minister of Planning and Investment.

Accelerate administrative reform, innovate methods, and improve the quality of institutional building, organizational structure, and cadre work.

a) Comrades Ministers and heads of agencies need to focus on directing the drafting of assigned documents, coordinating with relevant agencies to follow the prescribed procedures for drafting and reviewing according to the Law on Issuing Legal Normative Documents and Government Decree No. 101/CP dated September 23, 1997; eliminate the situation where higher-level documents must wait for lower-level documents before they can be implemented.

b) Address the issue of passing responsibilities up to higher levels and to the Prime Minister. Ministries and sectors need to review and inspect to classify tasks within their authority that require handling; firmly return tasks within the jurisdiction of lower levels, while not submitting matters within their own jurisdiction to the Prime Minister.

c) Ministries, sectors, and localities continue to implement reviews and reorganization of management cadres, especially those responsible for policy enforcement and enterprise management, firmly replacing cadres with misconduct, poor qualities, and low capabilities with qualified and competent cadres to enhance the effectiveness of the management machinery and state-owned enterprises' production and business operations. Rectify working styles and methods; strengthen coordination in handling tasks.

5. Continue to implement self-assessment according to Plan 01 and 03 of the Political Bureau. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and local leaders, along with Party Cadre Committees and Party Cells, organize self-assessment in their respective ministries and agencies to achieve the goals and requirements set out in Resolution No. 6 (second session) of the Central Committee.