On November 15, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc chaired a meeting of working groups No. 4 and No. 7 on urging the disbursement of public investment capital.
The Deputy Prime Minister made it clear that disbursement of public investment capital is actually the responsibility of each person, not of the person himself; if legal regulations are overlapping and complicated, it cannot be done even if urged.
According to VNA, after the investment capital is submitted by ministries, branches and localities, the list will be handed over to the locality for decision and will be adjusted from one project to another, without having to submit it to higher levels, as long as it does not exceed the total capital allocated to the locality. The target program capital will also be renewed in that direction. This way, it will not take much time, the project will be completed soon and will be effective.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, unfinished projects will lead to many consequences. If projects involving technology are prolonged, the technology will become outdated, not meet requirements, and be wasteful.
Taking a specific example of the expressway project, the Deputy Prime Minister said that chasing quantity without strictly controlling quality, leading to subsidence and collapse, has very serious consequences, such as the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway project invested by VEC, which had to "pay the price".
"If you just give the consultant a free pass, if the road collapses, sinks, or breaks the next day, you will have to take responsibility. Therefore, you have to calculate from the design stage, what vehicles can use that road, and how much force it can bear?", the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized, at the same time requiring a long-term vision to be taken into account, ensuring the longevity of the project.
Requiring mountainous provinces to rebalance total budget revenue, especially land use fees, to make correct commitments to the Government, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that if not, they must immediately hold a meeting with the People's Committee and People's Council, requesting the Government to allocate additional capital to the medium-term program so that the project can be effective.
This avoids unfinished projects due to lack of capital, leading to inability to finalize payments, as the lesson from the Viet Duc and Bach Mai Hospital project, branch 2 in Ha Nam is an example.
“We must focus on speeding up the progress and managing very well. We must balance the budget and revenue sources. We must not commit to work that later no one can handle, which is very tiring,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that with only 45 days left until the end of 2024, the disbursement rate is very low, with central ministries and branches only receiving 36.09%, and localities receiving 52.19%. To disburse 95% of the committed capital, great efforts must be made, the volume must be worked day and night, and procedures must be timely.
