Directive No. 29/2001/CT-TTg on Promoting Thrift and Combating Wastefulness

DIRECTIVE
On Promoting Thrift and Combating Wastefulness

Promoting thrift and combating wastefulness is a major policy of the Party and State that has been widely supported and responded to by all strata of the people, gradually becoming a habit and awareness among the majority of the masses, officials, civil servants, employees, and state organizations and agencies.

In recent years, the Party and State have issued many Resolutions and legal documents on promoting thrift and combating wastefulness, directing ministries, sectors, social organizations, and localities to take practical and appropriate measures according to specific conditions and characteristics of each unit to promote thrift and combat wastefulness.

Many ministries, sectors, localities, and organizations have proactively and positively implemented thrift and wastefulness reduction, contributing to more effective use of national resources. Promoting thrift and combating wastefulness has become an important factor in building and developing the economy and society.

However, the situation of lax management, violation of financial and budgetary management principles, causing significant loss of state assets still exists, especially in some areas such as basic construction investment, procurement, use of public assets, use of state budget, use of state capital and assets at enterprises. The organization of festivals, anniversaries, award ceremonies, conferences, etc., still carries a strong showmanship and formalistic nature, wasting time and money of the state and people. Wastefulness in production and consumption by the people still occurs relatively widely.

The main cause of the above situation lies primarily in the responsibility of heads of agencies, Party committees, and local authorities who have not fully understood and implemented the Party and State's policies on thrift and wastefulness reduction. Mechanisms, policies, and measures for implementing thrift and wastefulness reduction are still inadequate and inappropriate but have not been timely adjusted and supplemented; inspection and handling of violations have not been regular and strict enough.

To address the above situation and thoroughly implement thrift and wastefulness reduction, the Prime Minister issues the following directive:

Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government agencies, Chairmen of provincial People's Committees under the central government, Chairmen of Management Councils, General Directors, Directors of state-owned enterprises, and Heads of organizations using the state budget must strictly organize and implement the policy on thrift and wastefulness reduction within their respective powers and responsibilities; implement a number of key measures as follows:

1. Organize propaganda and dissemination to ensure that all sectors, levels, units, and individuals fully understand the awareness and requirements of the policy on thrift and wastefulness reduction. Each agency and unit must develop and implement a program on thrift and wastefulness reduction; summarize and evaluate the results of thrift and wastefulness reduction in their own agencies, organizations, or localities, and report to the Ministry of Finance for consolidation and reporting to the Prime Minister. The Head of the agency or unit is responsible for any wastefulness or violation of thrift regulations.

2. Thrift and wastefulness reduction in basic construction investment:

a) Properly implement planning, thorough preparation for investment to ensure compliance with plans, feasibility studies closely aligned with requirements, standards, and norms; publicly announce land use planning, clearly and specifically define tasks assigned to land management and protection units.

b) Reform methods and organization of land clearance in accordance with policies and systems, avoiding loss of state and people's assets and funds.

c) Publicly announce the allocation and distribution of basic construction investment funds to ensure their proper, concentrated, and effective use in accordance with the Investment and Construction Management Regulations.

d) Strictly follow tendering rules, prohibiting improper selection or designation of contractors.

đ) Closely monitor the construction of basic infrastructure projects. For certain community projects, organize public participation in monitoring construction. Agencies and units with construction projects must publicly announce planning, design, and budgets for staff to participate in checking and supervising from tendering, project compensation to equipment procurement and project acceptance.

3. Thrift and wastefulness reduction in procurement, use of public assets, and use of state budget:

a) Strictly implement expenditure regulations for meetings, telephone provision, car purchase and use, etc., in administrative and state-owned enterprise agencies, thoroughly economizing in organizing meetings and conferences.

b) The Ministry of Finance shall lead and coordinate with relevant agencies to review regulations on festival organization, award reception, anniversary celebrations, conferences, etc., study, supplement, amend, and promulgate expenditure regulations for each type, ensuring requirements while truly economizing.

c) Heads of agencies, units, and organizations must strictly implement financial transparency; financial agencies at all levels must rigorously inspect financial transparency in units; strengthen public and organizational supervision and inspection.

d) The Ministry of Finance shall inspect and publicly announce units that waste state funds, failing to comply with the Prime Minister's Decision on telephone usage standards; car purchase and use not in accordance with regulations, resolutely transferring excess to shortage.

đ) Strictly prohibit: proxy expenditures by state-owned enterprises for state management agencies, People's Committees at all levels; using public funds for gifts and receiving gifts in any form; retaining revenue due to the state budget for unauthorized use, including investment in asset procurement, welfare expenses, or bonuses for staff.

Financial authorities at all levels shall inspect, detect, and handle violations within their authority or recommend competent state agencies to address such violations with the aim of recovering assets and clearly determining responsibility for the heads of units if violations of the aforementioned regulations are discovered.

e) Office premises, official residences, and other architectural works must be used according to the standards and regulations set by the competent authority. Strengthen inspections and supervision of the use of office premises and land areas allocated to state-owned enterprises, resolutely handling or reclaiming areas that are wasted, unused, or improperly used as prescribed.

4. Thrift and anti-waste in the management and use of capital and assets in state-owned enterprises.

a) Regarding telephone usage policies, enterprises must base their telephone usage regulations on the State's stipulations, following the principle of thrift with specific quotas; individuals must pay for any usage exceeding the prescribed limits.

b) State-owned enterprises engaged in production and business operations must have quotas for raw material usage. Reward systems should encourage thrift in raw materials and technological improvements.

c) The organization of conferences, receptions, holidays, award ceremonies, domestic and international work trips... must be conducted thriftily and strictly adhere to prescribed expenditure regulations.

5. Thrift and anti-waste in the production and consumption of the people.

a) The organization of festivals, weddings, funerals, and other activities must be practical, simple, and extremely thrifty. Strictly prohibit the exploitation of festival organizations to compel individuals and organizations to contribute money.

b) Party committees and local governments at all levels need to promote and educate the public about thrift and anti-waste in production and consumption, encouraging the public to consume domestically produced goods to support production development.

6. Organizations and individuals entrusted with the receipt, management, and distribution of funds formed from contributions and support from the people, organizations, the Government, and non-governmental organizations for relief, humanitarian, and charitable activities must publicly disclose sources of income, distribution results, and fund usage in accordance with the Financial Transparency Regulations issued together with Decision No. 225/1998/QĐ-TTg dated November 20, 1998, of the Prime Minister.

7. Practicing thrift and anti-waste during the annual traditional Tet holiday.

To ensure that the people can celebrate the annual traditional Tet holiday happily, safely, and thriftily, ministries, sectors, and People's Committees at all levels, based on their functions and responsibilities, shall direct relevant agencies and units within their sectors and regions, and coordinate with related agencies to effectively implement the following tasks:

a) Strictly prohibit the exploitation of festivals and Tet to organize wasteful banquets and gift-giving using public funds. Enterprises eligible for bonus allocations under the system for units and individuals contributing to cooperation and assistance must publicly disclose the list of recipients and bonus amounts to the entire agency or unit.

b) Ensure adequate supply of essential goods for the people's consumption needs during Tet at stable prices, paying attention to the people's living conditions, preventing hunger and lack of celebration; avoiding shortages and sudden price increases; particularly focusing on ethnic minorities, remote mountainous, border, and island areas severely affected by natural disasters; visiting and presenting gifts to war invalids, martyrs' relatives, families with meritorious service, policy beneficiaries, mothers of heroic Vietnam, armed forces officers and soldiers; mobilizing all social strata to uphold the tradition of mutual aid and support for poor families. Ensuring sufficient transportation means to meet the travel needs of the people during Tet; ensuring social order and safety for the people. Organizing cultural, artistic, recreational activities well to meet the spiritual cultural needs of the people and international friends present in Vietnam. Organizing good care, disease prevention, and treatment services; strictly controlling food safety and hygiene.

Ministers of Ministries, Heads of ministerial-level agencies and agencies under the Government, Chairmen of Provincial People's Councils, Chairmen of Management Boards, General Directors, Directors of state-owned enterprises, and heads of budget-funded organizations are responsible for organizing and guiding the implementation of this directive.