Further clarify the issues of concern to delegates and voters.

Báo Bình Thuận•29/06/2023

This morning (June 29), the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council held a hearing on the allocation of recurrent expenditure budget and forest protection contracts. Comrade Nguyen Hoai Anh - Alternate Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, along with the Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Council, presided over the meeting. Representatives from relevant departments, agencies, and localities also attended.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Hoai Anh stated that, along with the achievements made in recent years and the first six months of 2023, the province's socio -economic development continues to progress significantly; the material and spiritual lives of the people continue to improve. However, the implementation of policies still faces some difficulties and obstacles that affect the regular operations of agencies and units and the rights of beneficiaries.

*The Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council presided over the explanatory session.*

Specifically, in the past period, the implementation of Resolution No. 12/2021/NQ-HĐND dated December 8, 2021, of the Provincial People's Council on promulgating the principles, criteria, and allocation norms for recurrent expenditure budget of the local government for 2022 and the period 2022-2025 in the province has encountered some difficulties and obstacles. Among these, two issues require attention: the allocation norms for state management, Party, and mass organization expenditures based on assigned staffing levels are quite low compared to the national average (lower than 54 provinces and cities), and difficulties in carrying out recurrent expenditure tasks.

*The head of the Department of Finance participated in the hearing to explain the relevant issues.*

The allocation and distribution of budgets to pay for labor contracts under Decree No. 111/2022/ND-CP, which replaces labor contracts under Decree No. 68/2000/ND-CP, currently lacks specific allocation limits. This has led to difficulties and confusion for state management agencies, the Party, mass organizations, and public service units that are not yet self-sufficient in covering their operating expenses.

*Forest protection force (illustrative photo).*

Regarding the payment of forest protection contracts in ethnic minority areas, in 2023, after the Provincial People's Council approved the plan for allocating funds from the Central Government's support program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in Resolution No. 11/NQ-HĐND dated May 9, 2023, the coordination process among departments and agencies was still slow, so the Provincial People's Committee has not yet approved the payment. From 2023, the Provincial People's Committee prepared design documents with a contract limit of no more than 30 hectares/household as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 4 of Resolution 18, and the number of households differed (an increase of 356 households) compared to the number of households approved in Appendix 2 of Resolution 18…

*Leaders of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs at the session to explain related issues.*

During the explanatory session, representatives from relevant departments and agencies reported on the implementation of the allocated recurrent expenditure budget for affiliated public service units; they also explained the difficulties and obstacles encountered during implementation, leading to delays in the disbursement of funds. They also clearly stated the causes and proposed solutions to overcome these difficulties and obstacles in the future. Another important issue concerned the voters' request regarding the untimely and delayed payment of forest protection fees to ethnic minority communities in the province, which affected their livelihoods. Representatives from the relevant functional agencies provided explanations and clarifications on this matter.

*Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Hoai Anh concluded the explanatory session.*

Concluding the explanatory session, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Hoai Anh acknowledged the seriousness, openness, and sense of responsibility of the heads of departments and agencies in directing, managing, and administering the two issues raised, further clarifying matters of concern to delegates and voters. He also requested the Provincial People's Committee and the heads of relevant departments and agencies to focus on decisively and comprehensively implementing solutions to achieve the results of the issues raised at the session. Furthermore, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Council requested the committees and delegate groups of the Provincial People's Council, within their duties and powers, to actively monitor and supervise the implementation of the conclusions of the explanatory session.

According to the Provincial People's Council, this was the first explanatory session of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council in the 2021-2026 term. This session affirmed that organizing explanatory sessions is a legally mandated form of supervision, clearly demonstrating the responsibility and determination of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council in fulfilling its duties as an elected body; gradually making explanatory activities a regular practice, increasingly in-depth and achieving practical results.

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