PM requests stepping up fight against wastefulness to unlock resources for development

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the Steering Committee for Wastefulness Prevention and Control, chairs the first meeting of the Steering Committee on February 25, 2025. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested ministries, agencies, and localities to consider wastefulness prevention and control as a shared task of the entire political system, which requires their responsible participation and contributions.

In a recently-signed directive on intensifying the fight against wastefulness, unlocking resources and promoting economic growth, PM Chinh affirmed that under the leadership of the Party, the close supervision of the National Assembly, and the decisive, timely, and close direction and management of the Government, the combat has achieved important results, contributing to the fulfillment and exceeding of most socio-economic development goals and targets over the past terms, even in the context of unprecedented challenges such as pandemics and natural disasters. This has led to the effective mobilisation, management, and use of human, material, and financial resources, ensuring national defence, security, foreign relations, and social welfare.

However, in practice, there are still existing issues and limitations in wastefulness prevention and control across many sectors, he noted, stressing that the mechanism for allocating and disbursing public investment remains problematic, thereby reducing the effectiveness of state resource utilisation.

Therefore, the wastefulness prevention and control must be clearly reflected through commitments and plans with specific timelines and targets, focusing on thoroughly addressing the causes of wastefulness, and it must be carried out regularly. The implementation plan must ensure the "5-clear" principle (clear people, clear tasks, clear timelines, clear responsibilities, and clear results).

It is necessary to combine the results from the wastefulness prevention and control efforts with the goal of achieving economic growth of at least 8% in 2025 and a double-digit rate in the 2026–2030 period; and recognise the outcomes as a significant resource, contributing to driving growth engines to achieve economic growth goals along with other traditional growth drivers.

The Government leader also highlighted the need to step up the dissemination of information about the Party's policies and guidelines, as well as the State's laws and regulations regarding the work.

The PM tasked the Ministry of Finance with developing a draft Law on Thrift Practice and Wastefulness Combat for submission to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at the 15th legislature’s 10th plenary session slated for October.

It was urged to quickly gather ideas from ministries and sectors to complete the National Strategy on Wastefulness Prevention and Control to report it to the PM for approval within this month.

The Ministry of Justice was requested to soon finalise the decrees detailing the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Documents for 2025 in a streamlined format and submitting them to the Government before March 31, ensuring they take effect along with the Law on April 1, 2025 to address the "bottlenecks" in the lawmaking process.

The leader also directed ministries and agencies to promptly develop and finalise detailed regulations and guidelines for the laws and resolutions passed by the 15th National Assembly at its 9th extraordinary session, as well as the Ordinance on Litigation Costs in 2024.

He highlighted the importance of focusing resources on addressing pending projects, and those whose construction is halted to soon resume their construction and put them into operation to prevent wastefulness and losses.

Due attention should also be paid to thoroughly implementing the task of comprehensive reform, and minimising administrative procedures and compliance costs for people and businesses.

Implementing smart governance and digital transformation is a breakthrough solution to improve the effectiveness of state management, help increase transparency, reduce losses and wastefulness in managing and utilising state resources, he emphasised, adding that it serves as an effective tool for wastefulness prevention at all levels and sectors.

PM Chinh also requested ministries, agencies, and local authorities to accelerate the application of digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data in management and supervision; and synchronise digital infrastructure and interconnect data systems across agencies to avoid the situation where each unit operates a separate system, leading to data fragmentation and difficulties in management and information utilisation./.