We will monitor agencies that return funds with the aim of "beautifying" the disbursement rate.

On the afternoon of September 18th, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Head of Task Force No. 3, chaired a meeting to review the progress of public investment disbursement at 17 ministries and central agencies under the Task Force.

According to a report by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the total investment capital plan for 2023 allocated by the National Assembly is over 711,684 billion VND, including nearly 43,000 billion VND for 17 ministries and central agencies under Task Force No. 3.

As of August 31, 2023, the disbursement rate of the 17 ministries and central agencies under Task Force No. 3 reached 44.12% of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister, higher than the national average of 42.35%.

Among the 17 ministries and central agencies in the Task Force, four ministries and central agencies disbursed funds at a rate higher than the national average: the Management Board of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (58.49%), the Ministry of National Defense (50%), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (48.2%), and the Vietnam Farmers' Association (48.16%). Several other ministries and agencies had disbursement rates below 10% or had not disbursed any funds at all.

Ministries and agencies have reported that some of the delayed projects are new projects, projects for the procurement of specialized equipment, projects for the construction of headquarters for ministries and agencies in localities, and information technology projects… which require many processes and procedures, thus demanding more time.

In particular, there are projects that have remained unimplemented for many years due to subjective reasons on the part of the project owner, who were not well-prepared, leading to numerous obstacles when implementation begins.

Meeting of Task Force No. 3 on reviewing the progress of public investment disbursement at 17 ministries and central agencies (Photo: VGP).

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Do Thanh Trung requested that ministries and agencies, when undertaking projects, pay attention to complying with three planning documents: the general plan, the zoning plan, and the detailed plan; and prioritize allocating capital for investment preparation.

The Deputy Minister stated that recently, the National Assembly issued a Resolution allowing the reallocation of funds between tasks and projects under the Socio-Economic Recovery and Development Program and those under the Medium-Term Public Investment Plan for the period 2021-2025 to accelerate disbursement. The Ministry of Planning and Investment has issued a guiding document clearly outlining the procedures for implementing this.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasized that the progress of public investment disbursement is of great importance to the recovery and socio-economic development in 2023.

The Deputy Prime Minister highly appreciated the positive progress made by ministries and agencies since the Task Force meeting in April 2023, as well as their ability to complete disbursement tasks by the end of the year, especially those ministries and agencies that have been allocated a large amount of public investment capital.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang will closely monitor the return of public investment funds by ministries and agencies (Photo: VGP).

Regarding tasks for the remaining months of the year, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that ministries and agencies actively and decisively strive to implement investment projects, clearly defining the responsibilities of the heads of departments; select consultants with sufficient capacity, especially for ministries and agencies without specialized investment departments, to avoid errors and personnel losses; and strictly adhere to the monthly reporting of disbursement progress to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for compilation and reporting to the Government.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that for future public investment projects, ministries and agencies must thoroughly consider the conditions and feasibility of disbursement, especially regarding land clearance, compensation, and planning, to avoid situations where projects are included in the plan but remain undisbursed for many years, resulting in the return of funds.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that he would closely monitor the return of funds by ministries and agencies solely for the purpose of "beautifying" their disbursement rates; any ministry or agency that does so will be considered to have failed to fulfill its nhiệm vụ.

"During the implementation of public investment projects, if ministries and agencies encounter difficulties or obstacles, they should promptly report them to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for compilation and coordination with other working groups to find solutions," the Deputy Prime Minister requested .

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/se-theo-doi-co-quan-tra-lai-von-voi-muc-dich-lam-dep-ti-le-giai-ngan-a627068.html