The Official Letter on speeding up and improving the quality of planning work for the 2021-2022 period

On 20/4/2022, the Prime Minister issued the Official Letter No. 364/CD-TTg on speeding up and improving the quality of planning work for the 2021-2022 period.

Accordingly, in order to improve the quality, ensure the progress and meet the requirements set for the planning work, the Prime Minister requested the Ministers, the Heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities shall focus on directing the drastic, synchronous and effective implementation of the tasks and solutions set out in accordance with the provisions of the Planning Law and guiding documents and resolutions of the National Assembly, the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Government, the directions of the Prime Minister and directly take responsibility before the Government and the Prime Minister for the planning work according to the assigned functions and tasks; which focuses on the following key contents:

- To focus on thoroughly grasping and raising awareness about the importance, position and role of planning work in the development of each industry, each field, each locality and the whole country. To clearly define planning work as an important political task in 2022 to focus on leading and directing the performance of planning tasks and solutions, consider this as a criterion to evaluate the level of completion of tasks of the heads, related agencies, units and individuals.

- To actively make a plan, schedule, measure, assign responsibility for performing specific tasks; focus on prioritizing resources, directing drastically and synchronously, strengthening the coordination more effectively to complete the planning, submit to competent authorities for approval to ensure quality and progress.

+ The Minister of Planning and Investment is responsible for directing the implementation and completion of the formulation of the national master plan and submitting it to the National Assembly for consideration and approval according to regulations; at the same time, urgently drawing up a master plan for five regions: the Southeast, the North Central and the Central Coast, the Central Highlands, the Red River Delta, the Midlands and the Northern Mountains to ensure progress and quality.

+ The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment is responsible for directing the implementation and completion of the national marine spatial planning according to assigned tasks, ensuring progress and quality, and submitting it to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.

+ Ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies shall have to concentrate on directing and expeditiously complete the formulation of national sectoral master plans according to the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister.

+ Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities are responsible for directing the implementation and closely coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies to complete the formulation of their provincial plannings, ensuring progress and quality.

+ The Council for Appraisal of national, regional, and provincial plannings strengthens close coordination, enhances the responsibilities of each member, focuses on appraising planning to ensure the quality in accordance with regulations and meet the proposed schedule.

- To urgently review, amend, supplement and complete regulations and guiding documents specific to functions, tasks, development orientations and spatial arrangement in the national area, regions, and provinces, the activities of the sector in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Planning, send them to the Portal and the National Planning Database of the Ministry of Planning and Investment as a basis for localities to make a planning of the province, ensure the consistency with national and regional planning.

- To adequately and timely provide relevant data under its management to supplement and update the information system and national database on planning. To strengthen coordination, exchange and sharing of information, uphold the responsibilities of heads of relevant agencies and units in the process of implementing and elaborating master plans at the same time to synchronously connect provincial planning with regional and national planning.

- To enhance the inspection and supervision of the formulation, appraisal and approval of the planning in accordance with the provisions of law, ensure the set quality and schedule; strictly handle violations, prevent taking advantage of profiteering, corruption, and negativity.

- To review and propose inadequacies and problems of the Law on Planning such as the formulation of national master plans, the integration of low-level planning into higher-level planning, and among national sectoral planning, ...propose the National Assembly to consider, amend and supplement in a timely manner, send it to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for synthesis and report. To continue to review and synthesize contents prescribed in legal documents related to planning that are overlapping and inconsistent, propose amendments, and send them to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for synthesis and report to competent authorities for consideration and appropriate and timely adjustment.

Source: Anh Duy