On April 19, the People's Committee of Gia Lai province said that the two provinces of Gia Lai and Binh Dinh are implementing a plan to merge administrative units according to the Party's policy and the provisions of law, in order to expand development space and strengthen regional linkages.
After the merger, the new Gia Lai province will have a natural area of over 21,550km2, a population of about 3.5 million people, with 135 commune-level administrative units (including 110 communes and 25 wards). The new province's political and administrative center will be located in Quy Nhon city (Binh Dinh).
The merger plan maintains the current number of cadres, civil servants and public employees of both provinces. The review and streamlining of staff will be carried out later, in conjunction with improving the quality of the team to meet the requirements of tasks in the new situation.
People, cadres, armed forces and workers in the new administrative area will continue to enjoy special regimes and policies according to the area as before the arrangement, until a new decision is made by the competent authority.
In terms of development potential, Gia Lai currently has strengths in agricultural production with specialized coffee, pepper, rubber growing areas... The province is developing ecological, modern and smart agricultural models. Pleiku city plays the role of the center of the Northern Central Highlands sub-region.
Meanwhile, Binh Dinh owns a diverse transportation system including road, rail, air and sea.
The province is rising to become a leading center for processing, manufacturing and tourism services of the South Central Coast and Central Highlands regions, as well as a leading center for marine economic development in the country.
The merger of the two provinces aims to streamline the government apparatus, be effective and efficient; at the same time, promote regional linkages, expand development space and mobilize maximum resources for socio-economic development, improve people's lives.
