Kinhtedothi - From January 1, 2025, Hanoi will reduce 53 commune-level administrative units and form 56 new commune-level administrative units.
Speaking with a reporter from the Economic & Urban Newspaper about the process of reorganizing commune-level administrative units in the 2023-2025 period, the Director of the Hanoi Department of Internal Affairs, Tran Dinh Canh, said that so far the city has not received any complaints or petitions; officials, civil servants, and citizens are in agreement and have confidence.
Effectively address the issue of redundant civil servants.
Could you please tell us about the impact of implementing the policy of reorganizing administrative units at the district and commune levels in Hanoi, given its unique status as the capital city, and how it has been implemented to still meet development requirements?
- In implementing Resolution 35/2023/UBTVQH15 dated July 12, 2023, of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the rearrangement of district and commune-level administrative units in the period 2023-2030, the city closely adheres to the central government's guidelines and resolutions; the specific criteria and standards in Resolution 35; and the contents that are not mandatory to rearrange.
Two major factors impact the administrative reorganization of the city: traditional cultural and historical elements, and the newly approved Hanoi Capital City Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050; and the adjustment of the Hanoi Capital City Master Plan to 2045, with a vision to 2065.
According to this plan, Hanoi will have several cities under its direct administration, 10 urban railway lines, several expressways, and ring roads (such as Ring Road 4).
The projects will divide administrative boundaries, impacting villages and communes in the relevant districts. Therefore, after investing in infrastructure and planning, the city will have to rearrange the number of district-level and commune-level administrative units in the next phase (specifically 2026-2030), which will be larger. Thus, although some localities have met the criteria and standards regarding area and population, the city intends to complete this infrastructure before proceeding with the rearrangement.
In implementing Resolution 1286/NQ-UBTVQH15 dated November 14, 2024, of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the reorganization of commune-level administrative units in Hanoi during the 2023-2025 period, the issue that has always attracted the most public attention is the surplus of civil servants. How will the city address this, sir?
- According to the plan outlined in the Resolution, the reorganization of commune-level administrative units in Hanoi will affect 109 communes, wards, and towns; reduce 53 commune-level administrative units, and create 56 new commune-level administrative units; and impact 2,653 officials, civil servants, and part-time workers at the commune level in 20 districts and towns.
After the reorganization, there were 93 surplus offices and 831 surplus personnel, along with related issues that needed to be resolved (personal documents, assets, seal transfers, etc.). The city quickly implemented the Resolution to all key officials, and the Department of Internal Affairs advised the city on a plan to guide and resolve the policies and benefits for the surplus civil servants: civil servants who meet the criteria for recruitment into the state civil service from the district level will be assigned to departments, Party committees, Fatherland Front, and mass organizations of the district; leadership positions will be assigned to communes with shortages; and policies and benefits will be resolved for civil servants who wish to retire early or resign according to their personal wishes.
The remaining individuals will be integrated into the local administrations as they are, and their cases will be resolved according to Resolution 35 within a 5-year timeframe. Specifically, of the 831 redundant civil servants, the city will resolve the majority in 2025 and early 2026; from 2026 to 2029, only the remaining 66 will need to be dealt with according to the roadmap.
Sir, another very important issue in the reorganization of administrative units is the handling of state assets. In this reorganization, how will the city direct efforts to ensure that public assets are not lost while also being utilized effectively?
- Following the city's directives, relevant departments and agencies (City Police, Department of Justice, Department of Home Affairs, Department of Finance) have issued specific guidelines on the conversion of personal identification documents, changes to seals, plans for arranging and allocating headquarters, assets, and facilities of communes and wards; and specific guidelines on the process of establishing Party committees, socio-political organizations, People's Councils, and People's Committees of newly established commune-level administrative units.
For the time being, schools, health stations, and cultural facilities in villages and residential areas will remain in place. After the completion of the new commune planning project, surplus cultural facilities and offices will be utilized to serve the local community, without changing their intended use for community centers, village cultural houses, etc.
Most convenient for the people
In parallel with addressing the issue of surplus civil servants and assets, could you please tell us how the new Party committee and government apparatus at the commune and ward levels has been reorganized?
- These days, 20 districts and counties are simultaneously launching 56 Party Committees and socio-political organizations (before December 31, 2024) and appointing one person to convene the People's Council meetings of the newly established communes, to be held immediately after the New Year (January 1, 2025), to elect the Chairman, Vice Chairman of the People's Council and People's Committee, and the positions of members of the People's Committee at the commune level.
Since the ward does not have a People's Council, the Chairman of the District People's Committee will appoint these positions. The new commune-level administrative apparatus will be operational from January 2025, with the Party organization assuming leadership functions from January 1, 2025; civil servants will continue to perform their duties as usual.
These matters were prepared in advance, and the City Party Committee and district/county Party Committees provided close guidance, so the arrangement, organization, and operation of the Party organizations, mass organizations, and commune-level government did not affect the overall activities of the commune or the services provided to the people.
The reorganization of administrative units will inevitably affect personal identification documents due to changes in administrative boundaries. To ensure the rights of citizens and avoid disrupting their lives, how will the city support the document conversion process?
- Following the city's directives, departments and agencies have provided specific guidance on the conversion of personal identification documents, using a fee-free administrative procedure. The City Police Department has instructed district, commune, and ward police departments, in addition to handling matters at the "one-stop" service centers at the district level, to organize mobile teams to go to villages and residential areas and work outside of regular hours to assist with the conversion of citizen identification cards, driver's licenses, and related documents, ensuring maximum convenience for all citizens.
If the conversion hasn't been completed due to work requirements, the documents remain unchanged and are unaffected. The police are also coordinating with the post office and banks, and VNeID continues to accept payments for related financial procedures.
Notably, the city is concerned about elderly people receiving social welfare benefits who are currently receiving monthly payments from districts and communes, requiring them to have the new citizen identification card/VNeID. The City Police Department is coordinating with the State Bank of Vietnam and commercial banks to ensure this process is handled smoothly and without delay. The city has a large number of war veterans and people receiving monthly allowances via bank cards; this will ensure that the allowance payments for the 2025 Tet holiday are processed synchronously and without disruption.
How would you assess the reception of Hanoi's commune-level administrative unit restructuring process so far, both by officials and the people?
- The inauguration ceremony for the newly merged commune-level administrative units is being held solemnly, in accordance with the regulations and statutes of the Party and relevant organizations, and in compliance with the law on the establishment of new governments, creating an atmosphere of enthusiasm, especially among key officials. In particular, the city and districts are paying close attention to the positions of heads of units. While the merger of 2-3 administrative units will result in a surplus of 2-3 heads, thanks to leadership and guidance in arranging and assigning positions scientifically and meticulously, ensuring suitability to qualifications and capabilities, and basically meeting the aspirations of officials, a high level of consensus among officials has been achieved.
The process of reorganizing commune-level administrative units has been specifically, decisively, thoroughly, and systematically directed from the city level down to the districts, counties, and communes/wards; it is entirely consistent with the orientation of building and streamlining the organizational structure for efficiency, effectiveness, and effectiveness, and has received the support, consensus, and trust of a large number of officials, Party members, and the people. To date, the City Party Committee, the City People's Council, the City People's Committee, and relevant departments have not received any complaints or petitions. All of this will create conditions for the city to have more opportunities and a new investment environment in the trend of development.
Thank you very much, sir!
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/ha-noi-sap-xep-don-vi-hanh-chinh-cap-xa-can-bo-nguoi-dan-dong-thuan.html
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