Innovation in the activities of People's Councils at all levels

The inspection and supervision delegation of the Provincial People's Council Standing Committee conducted a field survey in Cao Loc town within the framework of the inspection and supervision activities on the implementation of voters' opinions and recommendations after supervision of the District People's Committee and a number of relevant agencies and units.

– Since the beginning of the 2021-2026 term, the People's Councils at all levels in the province have made many innovations in organizing meetings as well as in monitoring voters' opinions and recommendations. Thereby, contributing to the good performance of the role of the State's authority in the locality, representing the will, aspirations and mastery of the people.

Since the beginning of the term, the Provincial People's Council has successfully organized 21 meetings, including regular meetings, thematic meetings and handling of urgent matters; the meeting management work has been constantly improved and innovated towards enhancing the quality and efficiency of the People's Council's operations. Through the meetings, over 200 resolutions have been issued in all fields, creating an important legal basis for the successful implementation of the province's 5-year socio -economic development plan for 2020 - 2025.

Strengthening questioning at People's Council meetings

Notably, the regular mid-year, year-end, and thematic sessions of the Provincial People's Council have devoted a lot of time to questioning and answering questions. For example, at the regular mid-year session of 2023, the Provincial People's Council had 29 opinions from delegates questioning, of which 10 opinions were directly questioned at the session; at the regular year-end session, there were 20 opinions from delegates questioning, of which 13 opinions were directly questioned at the session. The questioning contents went straight to issues of concern to voters, thereby clarifying the responsibilities of all levels and sectors in many fields such as: education , economy, environment, telecommunications, roads, planning, policies to implement national target programs, etc. The new point from this session is that the Provincial People's Council has introduced image projection equipment to serve the presentation, questioning and explanation activities of delegates, Provincial People's Council Committees, and members of the Provincial People's Committee. Thereby contributing to the application of information technology in activities at meetings, at the same time enriching the presentation and explanation methods, so that delegates can easily visualize the reality of the mentioned contents.

Delegate Vy Quang Dung, Deputy Head of the Social and Cultural Committee, Provincial People's Council, said: Through a survey of reality and opinions reflected by voters, the current situation of slaughtering livestock and poultry in the province and city is complicated, unscientific and unfocused management, and does not ensure the environment. Therefore, at the regular meeting at the end of 2023, I presented my opinion with illustrative images to question the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Director of the Department of Planning and Investment on the work of planning and construction of concentrated livestock and poultry slaughterhouses in Lang Son province and city; solutions to control food safety, environmental pollution, etc.

Provincial People's Council delegates raised questions at the regular meeting at the end of 2023 of the Provincial People's Council.

Not only did the questions come close to reality and have vivid illustrations, the Provincial People's Council delegates also closely followed the voters' recommendations to question or follow up on the opinions that had been questioned but not resolved to question again in the following sessions. Delegate Linh Thi Hien, Deputy Head of the Economic - Budget Committee, Provincial People's Council, Van Lang District Delegation Group said: Through contacting voters in Van Lang District, voters repeatedly recommended investing in and renovating Na Sam Bridge (built in 1986, now degraded, without railings, dangerous for people to travel). At the regular mid-year meeting of 2023 (July 2023), I questioned this content to the Director of the Department of Planning and Investment about investing in the construction of Na Sam Bridge. Responding to my question, the director of the department said that the leaders of the Provincial People's Committee have grasped the voters' opinions, but due to the province's limited capital, the province will consider putting the investment project into the 2023-2024 period, with the expected project implementation period in the 2025-2028 period.

Not only at the provincial level, the People's Councils at the district and commune levels also focus on innovation and improving the quality and effectiveness of People's Council meetings. From 2021 to now, the People's Councils at the district level have organized over 130 meetings, passing over 700 resolutions. The meetings have completed the proposed agenda, ensuring quality and order according to regulations. The chair of the meeting is responsible for conducting the meeting according to regulations; the consideration of resolutions and comments on reports presented at the meeting are discussed and commented by interested delegates. The People's Committee and specialized agencies and units at the district level are responsible for answering questions and clarifying the contents of the People's Council delegates' concerns. Notably, the questioning and explanation activities at the People's Council meetings were effectively broadcast live in 8/10 districts (Loc Binh, Cao Loc, Van Lang, Trang Dinh, Van Quan, Binh Gia, Bac Son and Lang Son city) to the wards, communes and towns in the area for voters to follow conveniently. Typically, some districts have done a good job of applying information technology to the organization of meetings such as using the People's Council's professional software to transfer documents for the meetings, applying the paperless meeting model (districts: Binh Gia, Van Lang, Huu Lung and Lang Son city).

Mr. Dinh Xuan Dong, Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Binh Gia district, said: From the beginning of the 2021-2026 term until now, at the meetings we have spent more time on questioning than in the previous term, on average there is 1 questioning session per meeting. Through the People's Council meetings, the district People's Council delegates have had more than 50 questioning sessions focusing on issues of concern to voters, regimes, policies, land, causes of slow progress of projects, and limitations in socio-economic development. The questioned issues have been explained and clarified by delegates, agencies and units right at the meetings of the District People's Council, contributing to improving the quality of the meetings.

Strengthening supervision of the settlement of voters' petitions

Not only innovating and improving the quality of meetings, People's Councils at all levels also strengthen the responsibility of delegations and People's Council delegates in supervising the settlement of voters' opinions and recommendations. People's Councils at all levels combine supervision through reports, public reception, and handling of petitions; include urgent issues and cases in the content of regular meetings, thematic supervisions of the Standing Committee of the People's Council and People's Council Committees; at the same time, explain and question at meetings on a number of issues of concern to delegates and slow-to-resolve voters' recommendations.

For example, in 2023, through many surveys and supervisions of the Provincial People's Council Committees, the Provincial People's Council Standing Committee reviewed and selected a number of contents to organize explanatory meetings, clarifying the contents of interest to voters and public opinion. Specifically, the Provincial People's Council Standing Committee organized 3 explanatory meetings on the limitations and difficulties in vocational training and job creation for rural workers; the situation of management and use of local budget funds entrusted to the Social Policy Bank for lending capital to create jobs, maintain and expand jobs; the current situation and solutions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of traffic safety work; 1 questioning session on the current situation and solutions to improve productivity, quality and economic value of star anise in the province. Immediately after the meetings, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council issued a notice of conclusion and forwarded 38 recommendations to the Central Government, the Provincial People's Committee, specialized agencies, and People's Committees of districts and cities to overcome shortcomings and limitations, and propose solutions for implementation; at the same time, assigned committees to monitor, urge, and supervise the recommendations according to assigned fields.

Accordingly, the People's Councils at all levels have paid attention to and implemented the supervision of the settlement of voters' petitions with many creative and innovative methods. Comrade Dinh Huu Hoc, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, said: The Standing Committee and Committees of the Provincial and District People's Councils focus on monitoring, urging, and supervising the competent agencies in settling voters' opinions and petitions. In particular, the classification and handling of petitions and forwarding them to competent agencies for consideration, settlement, and response to voters according to regulations. Basically, voters' opinions and petitions are resolved by competent agencies in accordance with the provisions of law and the actual situation; specific and clear petitions have created conditions for competent agencies to promptly have close and correct instructions and operations to resolve and remove difficulties and obstacles for the people. Since the beginning of the 2021 term, the whole province has had over 2,600 petitions from voters sent to People's Council meetings, with an average resolution rate of over 60%. The resolution rate of petitions of some district-level People's Councils is high, such as: Lang Son city (98.7%); Chi Lang district (98%); Dinh Lap district (90%).

At the commune and town levels, in recent times, through meetings with voters and listening to voters' feedback, the Standing Committee of the People's Council at the commune and town levels has selected many important contents related to the issue of socio-economic development, new rural construction; construction of rural roads; construction of national standard schools, policies for people to organize supervision, thereby promptly removing difficulties, speeding up implementation progress... Mr. Hoang Ngoc Bang, Party Secretary, Chairman of the People's Council of Chi Lang town, Chi Lang district said: Since the beginning of the term, the People's Council and the Standing Committee of the People's Council of the town have supervised 9 thematic sessions with contents such as: the implementation of resolutions of the People's Council of the town in socio-economic development; revenue and expenditure of specialized public funds contributed by the people; mobilize social resources to repair school facilities... each monitoring session has 3-4 recommendations, which are basically accepted and implemented by leaders at all levels and relevant units.

Mr. Luong Van Long, Party Cell Secretary, Block 15 Block Leader, Hoang Van Thu Ward, Lang Son City said: Based on the opinions of voters in the block about the lack of wastewater pipes, the hilly area in front of the block gate is not clean and beautiful, with the attention of authorities at all levels, and the contributions of people in the block, in 2023, the block invested in a wastewater line from the beginning of Nguyen Thuong Hien Street to Bac Son Street. The hilly area was leveled with an area of over 300m2, paved with stone, built with spacious and clean flower beds, with sports equipment, stone benches, creating a playground, and exercise area for people inside and outside the block.

The above reality affirms that with the assigned functions and tasks, in recent times, People's Councils at all levels have been performing well their roles and responsibilities, making efforts to make the activities of People's Councils at all levels increasingly innovative, practical, effective and of high quality.

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