Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaireda cabinet meeting on April 11 to discuss controversial issues of a draft decreeon the use of public property to pay investors in build-transfer (BT) projects.

Cabinet members agreed that BT projects, which are investedin by businesses who will be paid with assets and goods rather than money, arenecessary amidst the modest State budget resources.

Over the years, losses were reported in a number of BTprojects, especially those that investors get paid with land, as the land valuewas calculated lower than the market prices.

On December 28, 2018, the Government issued a resolutionadjusting BT projects signed before January 1, 2018. However, in order to removeobstacles in implementing such projects, the Government assigned the Ministryof Finance to draft a decree regulating the use of State assets to pay BTproject investors.

Representatives from ministries and sectors debated a numberof issues, including the bidding of BT projects and land use at the same time.

Addressing the meeting, PM Phuc clarified that BT is still anecessary investment format at present, which is allowed by the Law on PublicProperty Management 2017.

He asked the Ministry of Finance to continue collectingideas on the draft decree, thus ensuring its efficiency which is hoped to openup broader spaces for optimising resources for national development.

The PM requested the ministry to submit the draft documentwithin April.

The same day, the cabinet also evaluated the implementationof the Law on Planning, aiming to seek solutions to difficulties during theprocess.

A report from the Ministry of Planning and Investment showsthat due to a lack of documents specifying the implementation of a number ofthe articles of the Law on Planning, ministries, sectors and localities areunable to make new planning for the 2021-2030 period.

Ministries’ failure to submit to the Government six decreesguiding the realizations of the law on the adjustments and amendments to anumber of articles of 37 laws related to planning has caused difficulties inmaking technical and professional planning, it said.

Meanwhile, the Government Office reported that 39 national sectoraland 63 provincial zonings have yet to be implemented due to a lack of specificguidance. At the same time, land use zonings of five localities for the2016-2020 period are unable to be issued for the same reason which also affects25 zoning of sectors, and nearly 370 projects.

Concluding the meeting, PM Phuc noted that there are about17,000 zonings at all levels with overlapping, requiring the elimination ofsome. Therefore, the implementation of the Law on Planning is crucial.

He assigned Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung tocontinue directing the removal of difficulties in the realisation of the law.

Initially, it is necessary to issue a decree guiding theimplementation of the law, which must be completed within April, he stressed.-VNA