The Ministry of Finance has just issued Official Dispatch No. 11795/BTC-DT to the Prime Minister, reporting in detail on the disbursement of capital for National Target Programs (NTPs) from the state budget up to the end of September 2024. This report clearly states the disbursement progress, results of each program and especially the difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process, and proposes solutions to promote disbursement progress in the final period of the year.
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| Illustration photo (Photo: VH) |
According to the report, by the end of September, the cumulative disbursement of public investment capital plans of national target programs only reached 41.2% of the total capital plan assigned for 2024. Of which, investment capital from the central budget reached 48.6%, equivalent to about 13,242 billion VND. The three major programs including: New rural construction; Socio -economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas; Sustainable poverty reduction all have significant differences in disbursement rates between localities as well as between component projects.
Specifically, the New Rural Development Program achieved the highest disbursement rate of 55%, equivalent to VND 4,283,821 billion. In this program, many components achieved high disbursement rates, such as the content of improving the efficiency of management and implementation of new rural construction according to the plan reaching 78.7%, the content of improving the quality of public administrative services and digital transformation reaching 64%, and the content of ensuring national defense and security in rural areas reaching 60.3%. However, some other components still had very low disbursement rates, such as the content of restructuring the agricultural sector reaching only 16.5%, showing great difficulties in implementation.
The Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas achieved a disbursement rate of 48.2% of the central budget, equivalent to VND 6,751,668 billion. The projects in this program have some components with a disbursement rate of over 50%, such as the project on education and training development (60.2%) and the investment project for development of ethnic minority groups with small populations and difficulties (52.3%).
The Sustainable Poverty Reduction Program achieved the lowest disbursement level, reaching only 41% of the capital plan assigned in 2024, with VND 2,206,955 billion. Of which, projects on socio-economic infrastructure development in poor districts and extremely difficult areas reached 43.2%, while projects on vocational education development and sustainable job creation only reached 33.9%.
However, according to the Ministry of Finance, disbursement efficiency still has clear differences between localities. By the end of September, there were 7 provinces and cities with a public investment disbursement rate of over 70%, led by Hau Giang with 89%, followed by Vinh Long with 83.3%, Ninh Thuan with 77%, Tien Giang with 72.6%, Lam Dong with 71.2%, Yen Bai with 71% and Bac Lieu with 70%. On the other hand, there are still 3 provinces with a disbursement rate of less than 30%, including Binh Phuoc with 15.7%, Ha Tinh with 16.4%, and Ca Mau with 29.6%.
In addition to public investment capital, disbursement of career capital from the central budget for national target programs is much lower, reaching only 15.9% of the total annual estimate. Specifically, the New Rural Development Program disbursed VND 547,457 billion, reaching 20% of the total estimate; the Sustainable Poverty Reduction Program disbursed VND 2,314,375 billion, reaching 21.3%; and the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas only reached 12.4%, with VND 2,422,616 billion. Some component projects have relatively high disbursement levels such as the project on health care for ethnic minorities reaching 22.9% and the project on supporting residential land, housing and domestic water reaching 21.7%.
The Ministry of Finance also pointed out many difficulties and obstacles in the process of disbursing capital for the National Target Programs. One of the main reasons is the change in the number of beneficiaries. These programs were developed in previous years, but by the time of implementation, many beneficiaries no longer met the standards, making it impossible to fully allocate capital. The seasonality of livelihood support and production development models also causes difficulties in implementation, because the procedures related to beneficiaries are complicated and require meeting many conditions. Continuous changes in central-level guidance documents also make it difficult for localities to apply and implement projects.
In addition, the Ministry of Finance also pointed out the fear of errors and lack of determination in implementation of some localities. Many localities are still slow in planning, allocating capital and implementing projects, especially in disbursing regular expenditure capital. In addition, online bidding regulations and strong fluctuations in raw material prices have affected the progress of infrastructure projects. Localities have to adjust their estimates when prices fluctuate, prolonging the implementation time and slowing down the disbursement progress.
Another reason is the delay in issuing specific mechanisms. Some regulations on the subjects and support contents of the programs have not been fully issued, causing difficulties for localities, especially in vocational training and economic development programs for ethnic minorities. Although the National Assembly has passed Resolution No. 111/2024/QH15 allowing the application of specific mechanisms, localities are still hesitant to implement them, leading to delays in adjusting budget estimates and implementing management decentralization.
To resolve these difficulties, the Ministry of Finance recommends that the Prime Minister direct ministries, central agencies and localities to resolutely carry out tasks to promote disbursement in accordance with the direction of the Government and the Head of the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programs for the period 2021-2025. The Ministry of Finance requires localities that have not fully allocated the capital plan to promptly complete procedures and promptly report to the Ministry for synthesis. In addition, localities also need to arrange counterpart funds from the local budget, ensuring compliance with the correct support ratio and targets according to the Prime Minister's decisions and the National Assembly's resolutions.
Accelerating the disbursement of capital for the National Target Programs is a key task in the final stage of the year, to ensure that the programs are implemented effectively and meet the needs of the people in a timely manner. When the difficulties are resolved, the programs will contribute significantly to promoting socio-economic development, improving people's lives and ensuring the sustainable development of the country.
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