Agencies are asked to closely coordinate with sectors and levels to propose and recommend competent agencies amend and supplement policies and laws.

This is an important content of Resolution No 50/NQ-CP of the Government's regular meeting in March 2022, newly issued by the Government.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh concludes the regular Government meeting. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

Under the resolution, the PM requested ministries, agencies and localities to continue implementing tasks and solutions in the resolutions issued by the Central Party Committee, the National Assembly, the Government and the direction of the Prime Minister.

The resolution stated that the global and regional situation will continue to develop, especially the impact of the conflict in Ukraine. The resilience of the world economy is more difficult and growth is forecasted lower than in 2021, while risks in international financial and monetary markets increase. Risks include inflationary pressure, raw material prices, gasoline prices and the prices of many other basic goods.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the negative impacts of climate change, natural disasters, storms and floods, and extreme weather are increasingly unpredictable, greatly affecting production.

In that context, the Government requires ministries, agencies and localities to continue to perform the tasks and solutions set out in the Resolutions of the Central Party Committee, the National Assembly and the Government and the direction of the Prime Minister, especially in Resolution No 01/NQ-CP dated January 8, 2022, Resolution No 11/NQ-CP dated January 30, 2022 on the Programme on socio-economic recovery and development, and Resolution No 38/NQ-CP dated March 17, 2022 on the COVID-19 prevention and control.

The Prime Minister urged the drastic and effective implementation of the socio-economic recovery and development program. Photo: VGP

The Ministry of Finance was asked to coordinate with ministries, agencies and localities to promptly and effectively implement preferential policies on taxes and fees to support production and businesses.

The ministry was asked to effectively implement measures to ensure the stock market operates stably, safely, and sustainably, and strictly handle violations. It must strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of price declaration and price posting measures and the observance of the law on prices, and strictly handle violations.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, agencies and localities in developing a plan to flexibly adjust public investment capital in the medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period and public investment capital of the program for socio-economic recovery and development in the 2022-2023 period, then report to the Government and Prime Minister.

It would coordinate with the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs to urgently summarise and submit to the Government a plan to allocate capital for three national target programmes – building new countryside areas; sustainable poverty reduction, socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, to report to the National Assembly Standing Committee at the April 2022 meeting.

The finance ministry was also assigned to complete the dossier and submit to the National Assembly for approval of the investment policy for the project of Ring Road 4 in Hanoi Capital Region and Ring Road 3 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) shall take the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with agencies and localities in continuing to implement proactive and flexible monetary policies, and closely coordinate with fiscal and other policies to control inflation, stabilize the macro-economy, ensure major balances of the economy, and contribute to promoting socio-economic recovery and development, and remove difficulties for production, business and people's lives.

The SBV would deploy solutions to improve credit quality; focus on handling and minimising new bad debts; encourage credit institutions to continue to reduce costs and lending interest rates and increase credit access for businesses and people.

The SBV was asked to effectively direct credit to production, business and priority fields; strictly control cash flow into speculative fields. It must further strengthen the effectiveness of supervision, inspection and examination of credit institutions related to bond issuance activities of credit institutions and investment in corporate bonds.

Medical staff give students COVID-19 vaccines in Cu Chi district. Photo: VNA

The SBV was urged to finalise the draft Decree guiding the implementation of loan interest rate support from the state budget for enterprises, cooperatives, and business households, and report to the Government and the Prime Minister.

The Ministry of Health was asked to coordinate with agencies and localities in organizing the synchronous and effective implementation of the COVID-19 prevention and control programme.

It must ensure enough drugs and strengthen direction, guidance and support for localities in treatment work, so as not to overload the health system, especially grassroots healthcare.

The ministry was also asked to organise the purchase and receipt of vaccine sources and deploy timely, safe and effective vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old, completing second injections in the second quarter of 2022.

The ministries of Health, Industry and Trade, and Finance and relevant agencies, continue to strengthen inspection and examination of the business of goods for the prevention and control of COVID-19 such as treatment drugs, test kits, and medical equipment. Relevant violations must be detected and dealt with.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with agencies and localities in, focusing on implementing solutions to ensure sufficient electricity supply in 2022 and the following years.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was asked to coordinate with agencies and localities, expeditiously submitting to the Government a resolution on the development of agricultural cooperatives in restructuring the agricultural sector and building new rural areas.

The agriculture ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Trade were asked to review and make plans to develop the production of agricultural products with large import turnover (such as corn, soybeans, etc.) to meet the needs of the market, contributing to reducing the trade deficit.

The Ministry of Construction was asked to coordinate with agencies and localities in, urgently reviewing current mechanisms and policies, promptly overcoming inadequacies and limitations, and implementing solutions to develop the real estate market.

The Ministry of Transport was asked to coordinate with ministries, agencies and localities, focusing on deploying measures to remove difficulties, speed up the investment progress of construction projects as well as documents, submit to the National Assembly for approval the investment policy of important national transport projects like three expressway projects: Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang.

Speeding up the recovery of the labor market

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and relevant agencies were asked to guide and organise the implementation of Resolution No 17/2022/UBTVQH15 dated March 24, 2022, of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the number of overtime hours worked in a year and a month of employees in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and socio-economic recovery and development.

Workers in industrial zones can get housing rental support.

The ministry inspects and urges localities and enterprises to promptly deploy rental support for employees who have labour relations, are renting, staying in, or working in industrial parks, export processing zones, and industrial zones according to Decision No 08/2022/QD-TTg dated March 28, 2022 of the Prime Minister.

It must urgently summarise and evaluate policies to support employees, enterprises, cooperatives and business households according to Resolution No 68/NQ-CP dated July 1, 2021 and then propose competent authorities to consider or continue implementing support policies if needed.

The ministry must closely monitor to support the connection of labour supply-demand, accelerate the recovery of the labour market, and ensure enough labour for businesses and economic organisations.

A National Forum on Labour and Employment is to be organised in the second quarter of 2022.

Under the Government resolution, it is also necessary to strengthen the implementation and effective application of the national database on population and to grasp the subjects who need help with social security.

The content on supporting social security for pandemic prevention and control will be added to the national database on social security./.