
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Only 15 percent of business and investment conditionshave been cut or simplified since the start of the year despite the fact that adeadline set by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is approaching.
ThePM’s directive, issued at the start of the year, stipulated thatministries must submit proposals on how they would do so by August 15. Administrativereforms are viewed as a key way of boosting growth.
Only15.2 percent of 5,905 procedures have been slashed or simplified, nearly 35 percentshort of the target of 50 percent.
Some ministries have been active in boostingadministrative reforms, such as the Ministry of Construction (MoC) and Ministryof Industry and Trade (MoIT).
Bythe end of July, the MoC had cut or simplified 85 percent of the 215 businessand investment conditions under its management, and eliminated five of its 17conditional business lines. The proportion exceeded the target by 35 percent.
Meanwhile,the MoIT had also slashed 55 percent of its administrative procedures.
However,some ministries had fallen far behind schedule, including the Ministry ofTransport with 249 procedures waiting to be cut, the Ministry of Finance (223),the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (171), the Ministry ofEducation and Training (121) and the Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment (82).
DeputyMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan told Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper that MARD hadrecommended abolishing 152 categories of goods and products subject to specialisedinspections under the ministry’s management, accounting for 60.6 percent of thetotal.
Manygoods subject to quarantine inspections, quality control and food safetyrequirements would also be removed, Tuan said.
“Theministry has directed all agencies to implement the plan, and a decree oninvestment conditions has been submitted to the Government for comments,” hesaid, confirming that many issues were being urgently implemented and likely becompleted on schedule on August 15.
However,a number of complex issues concerning many agencies would not be rolled out andcompleted in August, said Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, head of the ministry’s LegalDepartment.
Accordingto Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho, the ministry had reviewed andagreed to cut 69/134 (accounting for 51.5 percent) of the number of productssubject to specialised inspections in the motor vehicle, specialisedmotorcycles, maritime shipping and railway sectors.
Theministry has also proposed cutting clearance times for 7/9 administrativeprocedures related to specialised inspections (accounting for 77.8 percent). Inthe meantime, relevant agencies are continuing to review where they can cutmore red tape.-VNS/VNA
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