The Government’s regular meeting - February 2021

RESOLUTION

THE GOVERNMENT’S REGULAR MEETING – FEBRUARY 2021

THE GOVERNMENT

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated June 19, 2015; the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Governments dated November 22, 2019;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 138/2016/ND-CP dated October 01, 2016 promulgating the working regulation of the Government;

Based on the discussion of the delegates and the conclusion of the Prime Minister at the Government’s regular meeting in February 2021, held on March 02, 2021,

RESOLVES

1. Regarding the socio-economic conditions in January and the first 2 months of 2021.

The Government unanimously agreed that: Amid COVID-19 outbreak in some localities, in implementing instructions of the Government and the Prime Minister, all levels, branches, and particularly localities focused on implementing many synchronous and drastic measures to prevent and fight the pandemic. At the same time, due attention was paid to policies on social security, social welfare, preparing and ensuring necessary conditions for people to celebrate a happy Tet, especially people with meritorious services to the revolution, the poor, ethnic minorities and people in remote areas, areas affected by natural disasters, storms, floods, and quarantined areas due to the pandemic. Associated with that were efforts to ensure public security, social order, and safety to promote production and business activities. Everyone in the country rejoiced to welcome Tet in an atmosphere full of excitement, happiness, warmth, and safety. With the active, drastic, and timely participation of the entire political system and the business community, as well as the strong consensus, responsive and supportive assistance from everyone in the country, the pandemic had been basically controlled. The socio-economic situation continued to see positive changes and many remarkable achievements. Stable macro-economic conditions were maintained. Inflation was kept under control. The average consumer price index in 02 months decreased by 0.14% over the same period. Balances of central and local budgets were guaranteed. State budget revenue in the first 2 months of 2021 was 21.3% higher than estimated, up 0.6% over the same period in 2020. Other macroeconomic conditions such as money, credit, exchange rate and interest markets were relatively stable. Import and export of goods increased strongly, of which total export turnover increased by 23.2%, trade surplus reached 1.29 billion USD. Innovation and application of science and technology and digital transformation continued to see positive changes. The national database on population and production system had been opened and put into operation, supporting the issuance and management of citizen identification. Agricultural, forestry and fishery production results were relatively good. Both yield and price of winter-spring paddy were higher than those of the previous year. The industrial sector continued to maintain its recovery momentum. For the first 2 months of 2021, the sector was estimated to grow by 7.4%. Total retail sales of consumer goods and services increased by 5.49%. The number of newly established enterprises increased by 4% and newly registered capital increased by 52.2%.

Immediately after the Lunar New Year, ministries, branches and localities paid attention to directing and proactively implementing their work tasks in accordance with the direction of the Prime Minister in Directive No. 06/CT-TTg dated 19 February 2021, to organize the systematic implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party, actively responding to the New Year tree-planting festival in "eternal gratitude to Uncle Ho" and with the goal of planting 1 billion new trees in the 2021-2025 period. Political security, social safety and order were maintained. Culture, society, foreign affairs, and international integration activities received due attention and were implemented effectively ...

The Government and the Prime Minister acknowledged, praised, and appreciated the determination and efforts of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Ministries, agencies and localities, especially medical staff, the military and police forces, and volunteers for their active and radical implementation of measures to prevent, control, and prepare the country ready to respond to any pandemic situation. In particular, the import of Covid-19 vaccines was urgently implemented, contributing to stabilizing people's psychology and lives.

In the coming time, the world pandemic situation would still be quite complicated, continuing to affect and influence many aspects of the global, regional, and national economies. In the country, in some localities, community transmission cases of Covid-19 might be reported. Meanwhile, natural disasters, epidemics, climate change, drought, and saltwater intrusion would become increasingly complex, having great impacts on production and people’s lives. Production and business activities, especially accommodation, food, transportation, and tourism services would continue to be heavily affected by the pandemic. Consumption of agricultural products in some quarantined localities or areas might face certain difficulties.

The Government unanimously agreed on the direction and administration approach to firmly focus on the effective implementation of the "dual goal" - drastically preventing and combating the Covid-19 while fostering socio-economic recovery and development and ensuring social security and people's well-being. Attention must be paid to maintaining macroeconomic stability, ensuring major balances of the economy, and striving to achieve the highest growth goals and socio-economic targets set forth. Ministries, agencies, and localities were requested to closely follow up with and urgently implement the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party. Each member of the Government was requested to make more efforts as a moral exemplar of high sense of responsibility and discipline before the Party, the State and the people, and continue to properly fulfill the assigned tasks; focus on handling urgent important tasks, ensuring publicity and transparency, not creating any backlog of tasks; drastically direct, synchronously and effectively implement the tasks and solutions set out in the Government's Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP dated January 1, 2021 and Directive No. 06/CT-TTg dated February 19, 2021 by the Prime Minister; focus on removing difficulties, promoting production and business development, and striving to achieve at the highest level the tasks and goals of the first quarter and the whole year 2021. Accordingly, attention must be paid on the following key tasks:

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall expeditiously assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other Ministries and branches to formulate and submit to the Government to promulgate the Government's Action Program to implement the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party, the 10-year Socio-Economic Development Strategy in 2021-2030 and the 5-year socio-economic development orientations and tasks in 2021-2025. The Ministry of Planning and Investment was requested to lead and coordinate with other Ministries, branches and localities in promoting the attraction of investment capital sources, including selecting and attracting quality foreign investment capital, especially shifted investment capital flows of large high-tech groups in the world and in the region; lead and coordinate with other Ministries, branches and agencies in proposing solutions to develop State owned economic groups and corporations and promote private economic development.

- Ministries, agencies, People's Committees of provinces and cities directly under the Central Government were requested to completely avoid negligence in Covid-19 prevention and control; pay closer attention to management and operation; actively monitor the international and domestic situation, study and carefully analyze trends, impacts and influences of Covid-19 to propose effective and feasible solutions and countermeasures in both the short and medium terms in promptly responding to the pandemic situation and developments; promptly remove difficulties or propose to competent authorities solutions to support and remove difficulties for businesses and people affected by the pandemic, especially businesses operating in the tourism, transportation, and retail sectors.

- The Ministry of Health shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other Ministries, branches, agencies and localities in continuing to drastically prevent and fight against Covid-19 by embracing the "5K vaccines" motto (in Vietnamese, which includes facemask, disinfection, distancing, no gathering, and health declaration), strictly implementing the update and assessment of Covid-19 safety level for organizations, units, enterprises, manufacturers, and accommodation establishments. Upon detection of Covid-19 infections, it is necessary to carry out assertive contract tracing to quickly localize infected zones, conduct large-scale testing to urgently stamp out the disease outbreak and raise alertness, especially for new strains of virus poised to unleash severe community infection.

The Ministry of Health was requested to expeditiously deploy vaccination to the people in accordance with the direction of the Politburo and the Secretariat in Notification No. 50-CV/TW dated February 19, 2021 of the Office of the Party’s Central Committee on the purchase and use of Covid-19 vaccines, the Government's Resolution No. 21/NQ-CP dated February 26, 2021 on the purchase and use of Covid-19 vaccines, and the Prime Minister's direction.

The Ministry of Health shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and concerned agencies in urgently developing a "Project on ensuring vaccine supply from now to 2025, with a vision to 2030” and submitting it to the Prime Minister for review and approval in 2021.

- The Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other Ministries, branches, and localities to ensure balance between the state budget sources and domestic and/or foreign funding sources for epidemic prevention and control activities, especially funding for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines as prescribed.

- The State Bank of Viet Nam shall continue to operate monetary policy in an active and flexible manner, directing credit institutions to continue balancing their capital sources to meet their borrowing needs to serve production and business activities, especially for industries heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and continue to restructure and effectively handle bad debts in the credit and banking systems. The State Bank of Viet Nam was assigned to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Government Office in finalizing and submitting to the Prime Minister a Decision approving the pilot application of mobile payment for small-value goods and services through telecommunications accounts (Mobile Money) and organizing the implementation right after the Prime Minister’s signing for promulgation.

- The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the State Bank of Viet Nam shall evaluate the implementation situation, continue to review, promptly propose adjustments to current policies and support measures, research and develop new supportive policies to help businesses and people overcome difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other Ministries, branches, and localities to concentrate on economic restructuring, accelerating economic recovery and the implementation and disbursement of public investment capital, including official development assistance (ODA) and foreign concessional loans, and striving to achieve an economic growth of 6.5% in 2021. The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Government Office shall carefully prepare contents and quickly propose to organize a conference to promote disbursement of public investment capital.

- The Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall continue to promote human resource training, especially training for high-quality human resources to meet the needs of domestic production and business recovery.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other Ministries, branches and localities in promoting the development of agricultural production and the rural economy in association with new countryside construction; continue to accelerate natural disaster recovery operation, especially in the Central provinces, and preparation for the upcoming storm and flood season; and coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and localities to formulate solutions to support consumption of agricultural products for farmers.

- Ministries and branches shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with localities in proposing policies and solutions to promote their potentials and strengths, unravel resources for economic growth, leverage their role as pillars and drivers of the economy, especially big cities, and provinces such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and other key provinces.

- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other Ministries and branches in closely monitoring the world economic situation through signs of recovery in order to promptly propose policies to promote domestic economy, export growth, citizen protection, and securing outward investment capital flows.

- The Ministry of Finance shall urgently finalize the draft Decree amending Decree No. 97/2018/ND-CP dated June 30, 2018 prescribing the on-lending of the Government’s ODA and foreign concessional loans.

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned agencies to quickly formulate and finalize the draft Decree amending Decree No. 56/2020/ND-CP dated May 25, 2020 on management and use of ODA and concessional loans from foreign donors.

- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall proactively propose solutions to stimulate domestic tourism demand associated with Covid-19 prevention and control; prepare plans to promote international tourism when the epidemic situation has been brought under control.

- The Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Government Office, agencies, and localities shall continue to promote the application of the Fourth Industrial Revolution results for e-Government development to create a digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Municipal People's Committee of Can Tho City and related agencies and localities in urgently preparing to organize the Government's Conference to review the 3-year implementation of the Resolution No. 120/NQ-CP dated November 17, 2017 on climate-resilient and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies in finalizing the Project to plant 1 billion green trees in the 2021 - 2025 period, proposing mechanisms, policies, and measures to support localities to successfully implement the Project, contributing to the development of a green economy and for a green Viet Nam.

- The Ministry of Home Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, agencies, and localities in reviewing, evaluating, proposing, and submitting to competent authorities for Government’s award of commendation and rewards to organizations and individuals with outstanding achievements in the term 2016 - 2021.

- The Ministry of National Defense shall proactively formulate response plans, avoid being passive and unprepared in any situations; assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with agencies and localities to continue strict border control, especially the southwestern border to ensure pandemic prevention and control.

- The Ministry of Public Security shall proactively take action to ensure security and order, combat and prevent crimes, especially during the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and the election of deputies to the People's Council at all levels for the term 2021-2026. The Ministry of Public Security was requested to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other Ministries, branches, and localities in, communicating and effectively deploying the national database on population.

- The Government Inspectorate shall assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with other ministries, agencies, and localities to focus on resolving complaints and denunciations related to the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and the election of deputies to the People's Council for the term 2021 - 2026. Special attention shall be paid to resolving complaints and denunciations right from the grassroots level of in order to limit group complaints and lawsuits taken to higher administrative levels.

- Regarding the preparation for the 11th session of the 14th National Assembly: Relevant ministries and agencies were requested to urgently complete reports to the National Assembly and National Assembly deputies in due time. Government members were requested to focus on handling outstanding issues within the scope of their assigned responsibilities.

2. Regarding the Evaluation Report on the supplementary implementation results of the 2020 socio-economic development plan

The Ministry of Planning and Investment was assigned to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned agencies in utterly collecting comments at the meeting, finalizing the draft Report; on that basis, the Minister of Planning and Investment was authorized by the Prime Minister to act on behalf of the Government to report to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly and the National Assembly according to regulations, ensuring the Report’s quality and progress; and actively provide explanations to the National Assembly and agencies of the National Assembly on related issues according to regulations.

3. Regarding the implementation results of the adjusted public investment plan in 2020 using the central budget capital among Ministries, central agencies, and localities according to Resolution No. 122/2020/QH14 of the National Assembly.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment was assigned to assume the prime responsibility for reviewing, collecting comments at the meeting, and completing the report; on that basis, the Minister of Planning and Investment was authorized by the Prime Minister to act on behalf of the Government to report to the National Assembly at the 11th session according to regulations; and actively provide explanations to the National Assembly and agencies of the National Assembly on related issues according to regulations.

4. Regarding the continued use of the remaining undisbursed and unallocated capital from the capital sources under Resolution No. 324/NQ-UBTVQH14 dated December 26, 2016 for investment in projects to construct Vietnamese representative agencies abroad in the 2021-2025 period.

In principle, the Government agreed with the Report of the Ministry of Planning and Investment and comments at the meeting on the continued use of the remaining undisbursed and unallocated capital under the Resolution No. 324/NQ- UBTVQH14 dated December 26, 2016 for investment in projects to construct Vietnamese representative agencies abroad in the 2021-2025 period.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment was assigned to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and concerned agencies in collecting comments at the meeting to finalize the Government's Report submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly; on that basis, the Minister of Planning and Investment was authorized by the Prime Minister to act on behalf of the Government to report to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly according to regulations; and actively provide explanations to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly and agencies of the National Assembly on related issues according to regulations.

5. Regarding the Evaluation Report on the supplementary implementation results of the State budget in 2020 and implementation progress of the State budget estimate in 2021.

In principle, the Government agreed with the Evaluation Report on the supplementary implementation results of the State budget in 2020 and implementation progress of the State budget estimate in 2021. The Ministry of Finance was assigned to assume the prime responsibility for collecting comments at the meeting, carefully reviewing and completing contents of the Report, ensuring its quality and progress; on that basis, the Minister of Finance was authorized the Prime Minister to act on behalf of the Government to report to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly and the National Assembly according to regulations; and actively provide explanations to the National Assembly and agencies of the National Assembly on related issues according to regulations.

6. Regarding the draft Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly promulgating specific mechanisms and policies for Thua Thien - Hue province on the basis of preserving and promoting the value of the ancient capital’s heritage and Hue cultural identity.

In principle, the Government agreed with the Proposal of the Ministry of Planning and Investment on the draft Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly promulgating specific mechanisms and policies for Thua Thien - Hue province on the basis of preserving and promoting the value of the ancient capital’s heritage and Hue cultural identity.

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment was assigned to study and collect comments of the Government members at the Government Meeting to promptly finalize dossiers of the draft Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly promulgating specific mechanisms and policies for Thua Thien - Hue province on the basis of preserving and promoting the value of the ancient capital’s heritage and Hue cultural identity. On that basis, the Minister of Planning and Investment was authorized by the Prime Minister to act on behalf of the Government to sign the Proposal and report to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly according to regulations.

- The Minister of Justice was authorized by the Prime Minister to act on behalf of the Government to sign the Proposal submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to add the above-mentioned draft Resolutions to the annual law- and ordinance-making program in 2021, following the shortened order and procedures, and for approval at a Government Meeting. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall urgently send relevant dossiers and documents to the Ministry of Justice according to regulations.

7. Regarding the performance of the tasks assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister and the promulgation of detailing legal documents in February 2021.

a) Regarding the performance of assigned tasks

Ministers and Heads of ministerial-level agencies were requested to directly direct, expeditiously complete and submit overdue projects and tasks by March 15, 2021 at the latest; and at the same time, ensuring the submission progress of projects to the regulation-making program in March 2021, not leaving any staggering backlogs.

b) Regarding the promulgation progress of detailing legal documents

- Ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies shall directly direct the formulation of legal documents, especially projects to develop laws and ordinances that have been included in the law- and ordinance-making program to detail regulations; urgently complete and submit to promulgate pending documents, striving not to allow the occurrence of any backlogs by the end of the 2016-2021 term. At the same time, they were requested to proactively plan to develop documents detailing regulations which shall take effect from July 1, 2021 according to the assigned schedule, rigorously avoid pending issuance of guiding documents.

- The Ministry of Justice and the Government Office shall continue to monitor and urge the implementation of the 2021 law- and ordinance-making program; and promptly advise the Government and the Prime Minister on solutions to speed up the drafting and promulgation of laws, ordinances, and detailed regulations./.

For reference only