Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the statement on February 3 when he chaired the third session of the Government’s Steering Committee for Administrative Reform, to summarise the committee’s activities in 2022 and launch the committee’s activities for this year.

PM Chinh, head of the committee, told the heads of State agencies, ministries, sectors and localities to strengthen responsibility in directing the implementation of administrative reform tasks; further promote the spirit of flexibility, innovation, dare-to-think, dare-to-do, dare-to-take-responsibility for the common interests; provide rewards and strictly handle violations.

He also ordered relevant agencies and ministries to focus on promoting administrative reform associated with innovation and digital transformation; improving the business and investment environment, and enhancing national competitiveness.

The agencies and ministries had to concentrate on institutional reform; simplify administrative procedures, especially administrative procedures related to the State and business regulations; reduce time and costs for implementing administrative procedures; improve the quality of online public service; enhance the satisfaction of people and businesses, and take people and businesses as the centre, he said.

The localities were required to consolidate steering committees on administrative reform, headed by the chairmen of the People's Committees, he said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs was ordered to issue guidance for the localities to implement the task, he said.

 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh says digital government must have digital citizens, and the digital economy must have digital human resources (VGP/ Nhat Bac)

He requested ministries, sectors and localities to step up the review and issuance of specific tasks and solutions to create breakthroughs in administrative reform, on the basis of closely following the guidelines of the Party and the policies and laws of the State.

The ministries, sectors and localities needed to promulgate this year's administrative reform plan before February 15, 2023, he said.

Besides, relevant agencies and ministries were tasked to quickly complete backlog tasks of last year and effectively implement administrative reform tasks assigned in Resolution No. 01 of the Government in order to improve the business environment and enhance national competitiveness, he said.

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra delivers a speech at the session. (VGP/Nhat Bac)

Relevant agencies and ministries had to effectively carry out Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW on continuing to build and perfect a rule-of-law socialist State in the new period, focusing on improving the quality of law enforcement; promoting decentralisation, individualisation of responsibilities associated with resource allocation; improving enforcement capacity and strengthen inspection and supervision of power, he said.

The relevant agencies and ministries were also ordered to promote restructuring associated with downsizing and improving the quality of officers and staff according to Conclusion No. 28-KL/TW of the Politburo, he said.

They had to enhance administrative discipline, research, amend, supplement and complete regulations to renew the assessment of cadres, civil servants and public employees in compliance with the Party's regulations, ensuring practicality and efficiency, he said.

Participants at the session evaluate that in the overall success of the whole country last year, there will be positive and effective contributions of administrative reform (VGP/ Nhat Bac)

Perfecting national database

According to PM Chinh, 2023 is the year of digital data, and the Government has agreed to submit to the competent authorities the policy of building a National Data Centre Project.

Therefore, ministries, sectors and localities need to continue to improve, connect and share national databases and information systems to serve the direction and administration of the Government, the Prime Minister and the National Public Service Portal as well as provide online public services to people and businesses, he said.

Ministries, sector and localities were assigned to effectively deploy the project on developing and applying the population data and electronic identification and authentication to serve national digital transformation (project 06), he said.

He also added that through the National Database on Population, many families with loved ones separated for decades have been reunited.

Besides, PM Chinh told ministries, sectors and localities to multiply good models such as the model of establishing groups to help people in digital transformation in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh.

Heads of 63 provinces and cities join the online form of the session. (VGP/Nhat Bac)

The Ministry of Home Affairs had to coordinate with relevant agencies in developing and perfecting the National Database on Cadres, Civil Servants and Public Employees; connecting and sharing data with the National Database on Population and the Information Centre for direction and administration of the Government and the Prime Minister. He said the tasks must be completed in the second quarter of this year.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Information and Communications was tasked to urge the ministries, sectors and localities to effectively implement Resolution No. 17/NQ-CP on a number of key tasks and solutions to develop the e-Government in the 2019-20 period, with a vision towards 2025; and Decision No. 942/QD-TTg approving the e-Government development strategy towards the digital government in the 2021-25 period, he said.

The Ministry of Public Security was asked to work with the Government Office, and relevant agencies to integrate, connect and share data among the National Database on Population, the National Public Service Portal, and the Information System processing administrative procedures at ministerial and provincial levels, he said.

He said the mission must be completed in the first quarter of this year.

He said that the ministry had to submit to the Prime Minister to promulgate a Directive on accelerating the implementation of project 06 at ministries, sectors and localities in February this year.

And the State Bank of Viet Nam was told to promote non-cash payments, he said.

Administrative reform achievements

 The third session of the Government’s Steering Committee for Administrative Reform, to summarise the committee’s activities last year and launch the committee’s activities for this year. (VGP/Nhat Bac)

Participants at the session assessed that administrative reform’s activities have shown many bright spots last year, such as reorganising the apparatus, improving the business-and-investment environment, and enhancing national competitiveness while digital transformation and building e-Government have contributed to mobilise all resources for the development of the country.

The Government and the Prime Minister have given many directions to remove difficulties and obstacles, prompting administrative reform.

Ministries, sectors and localities have actively implemented specific solutions to raise the efficiency of administrative reform.

Ministries and ministerial-level agencies have set out nearly 1,100 tasks related to administrative reform, clearly assigned responsibilities and implementation time; and issued 342 documents to urge the implementation of administrative reform.

Institutional reform and improvement have been focused on with many innovations and improvements in efficiency at the same time. The Government submitted 20 bills to the National Assembly; organised nine thematic sessions on the law to consider and approve 39 proposals for building laws and bills; and promulgated 125 decrees. The Prime Minister issued 29 decisions and ministries issued over 400 circulars.

The work of inspecting and monitoring the law's implementation, dissemination and education has been strengthened. Last year the ministries, sectors and localities inspected nearly 12,000 legal documents, reviewed more than 27,800 legal documents; and recommended amending more than 5,700 legal documents.

Administrative reform and the improvement of the business-and-investment environment have been promoted to better serve people and businesses.

It has reduced and simplified 1,041 business regulations in 101 legal documents. It also promulgated a plan to review and simplify administrative procedures in the State administrative system for the 2022-25 period.

The country has established 11,700 one-stop-shop units at all levels that are responsible for handling administrative procedures. 56 out of 63 localities organised the model of a centre serving public administration at the provincial level.

All ministries, sectors and localities have established and put into operation public service portals and the electronic one-stop information system at ministerial and provincial levels.

Nearly 4,400 out of 6,502 administrative procedures have been provided as online public services. More than 164 million records have been synchronised. More than 4.6 million online payment transactions have been implemented. All 25 essential public services under Project 06 have been integrated and provided on the National Public Service Portal.

National digital transformation has been implemented strongly and substantively, contributing to the building of e-Government, towards the digital government, economy and society.

The ministry of public security has drastically and synchronously directed the implementation of Project 06 nationwide; granted nearly 78 million chip-based identity cards to citizens; connected data between the National Database on Population with 13 ministries, sectors, four enterprises and 57 localities.