Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra affirmed that "no calculations or proposals have been made regarding the reorganization or merger of any provinces or cities."
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra.
No proposal has been made to merge provinces.
* Minister, how have the provinces and cities reported their plans for reorganizing district and commune-level administrative units to the Ministry so far? Has the number of communes and districts subject to merger changed compared to the initial calculations?
- Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra: This is one of the key tasks of the Ministry of Interior as well as of the localities in 2024. As of December 31, 2023, all 56/56 localities with district and commune-level administrative units subject to restructuring in the 2023-2025 period have submitted their overall plans to the Ministry of Interior for approval.
Based on the consolidated opinions of relevant ministries and agencies, the Ministry of Interior has issued 56 documents providing input on the overall plans of localities. A summary of the overall plans from 56 provinces and cities shows that the number of district and commune-level administrative units to be reorganized in the 2023-2025 period has changed somewhat compared to the initial projections.
According to initial plans, during the period 2023-2025, 33 district-level administrative units and 1,327 commune-level administrative units nationwide were subject to mandatory restructuring. However, after consolidating the overall plan, the total number of district-level administrative units undergoing restructuring is 50. This includes 11 units subject to mandatory restructuring, 16 units encouraged for restructuring, and 23 adjacent units; 19 units will not be restructured due to specific circumstances. It is projected that after restructuring and mergers, the number of district-level administrative units nationwide will decrease by 14.
The total number of commune-level administrative units undergoing restructuring is 1,243. Of these, 738 units are subject to mandatory restructuring, 109 are encouraged to undergo restructuring, and 396 are adjacent units; 515 units will not be restructured due to specific characteristics. It is projected that after restructuring and mergers, the number of commune-level administrative units will decrease by 619.
These figures show that a significant number of district and commune-level administrative units are being encouraged to be reorganized based on proposals from local authorities. There are 16 district-level administrative units and 109 commune-level administrative units that are not subject to mandatory reorganization, but have been proposed for reorganization by local authorities.
In addition, although some district and commune-level administrative units are subject to restructuring, after reviewing and evaluating many unique cultural and historical factors, the localities have proposed not to reorganize them.
In summary, the number of district and commune-level administrative units to be reorganized or merged in 2024 remains largely unchanged compared to initial projections.
* Recently, there has been information circulating on social media about preparations for the reorganization and merger of several provinces. Could the Minister please clarify the truth of this matter?
- This is an issue that many provinces and cities are concerned about and have raised questions about with the Ministry of Interior. However, we affirm that the Ministry of Interior has not yet considered or proposed any restructuring or merger of any province or city.
Recently, many posts on social media have claimed that one province is merging with another. I affirm that this information is inaccurate and unfounded, causing concern among the people of some provinces and affecting public sentiment.
Developing a professional civil servant workforce.
*And how is the internal organizational structure of agencies and units being arranged, Minister?
- Currently, the reorganization of the internal structure of ministries and agencies (general departments, departments, divisions) and specialized agencies at the provincial level (departments, sectors) is relatively complete. Only a few public service units of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and government agencies remain to be reorganized, and we will focus on continuing this restructuring in 2024.
It is expected that after the restructuring, approximately 140 public service units under ministries and agencies will be reduced; at the same time, the autonomy of these units will be promoted, striving to have 63% of public service units under ministries and ministerial-level agencies fully autonomous by 2025.
* One of the important and ongoing tasks of the Ministry of Interior is to build and improve the institutional framework related to organizational structure, personnel, civil servants, and public employees. So how will the Ministry carry out this task in 2024?
- We are currently focusing on completing the research and proposed amendments to the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants; the Law on Public Employees; as well as the Law on Government Organization and the Law on Local Government by October 2024. In particular, we are working on the Law on Government Organization and the Law on Local Government to promote decentralization and delegation of power, as well as administrative reform from the central to local levels.
Along with institutional building, we will refine policies to attract and utilize talented individuals, continue to innovate the civil service system; and establish specific criteria, standards, regulations, structures, and appropriate ratios for ministries, sectors, and localities to base their decisions on when considering promotions to higher professional ranks for civil servants and researching the possibility of upgrading civil servant ranks.
We must evaluate accurately and fairly, while also creating motivation for officials and civil servants to strive for excellence. This includes those who aspire to become senior experts, and another group, if they have sufficient capacity and qualifications, will focus on training, development, planning, and appointment to leadership positions.
* In 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs was assessed as one of the ministries that achieved comprehensive results and made many notable achievements. As Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang said at the sector's summary conference, the Ministry of Home Affairs was assigned many institutional tasks, many of which were very difficult and sensitive, and the results achieved were very encouraging. Could the Minister share the secret behind this success in management?
- It must be said that, over the years, our Ministry of Interior has always focused on innovating leadership, direction, and management, concentrating on key areas, being decisive, meticulous, and targeted. In particular, we have focused on advising and organizing the implementation of major Party policies in our sector, while simultaneously addressing issues arising from practical situations to ensure the fulfillment of immediate and long-term strategic goals and objectives.
Recognizing the importance of coordination in carrying out the tasks assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister, we have always been determined to urge ministries, sectors, and localities to expedite the work to ensure timely completion and effectiveness.
Therefore, coordination between the Ministry of Interior and other ministries, sectors, and localities is maintained regularly; timely exchange and response to requests and proposals aim to create unity and smooth implementation of assigned tasks. In particular, resolving inter-sectoral issues has initially yielded good results.
With that spirit in mind, in 2024, the entire Ministry of Interior will resolutely implement the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party and set forth the motto "Discipline, exemplary conduct, professionalism, and efficiency" to create more positive, stronger, and more effective changes in the areas of state management under the Ministry of Interior.
Thank you very much, Minister!
Source
Comment (0)