Complete the arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels before October 2024.

On the afternoon of February 28, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels.

The report at the meeting showed that as of December 31, 2023, all 56/56 provinces and cities with district and commune-level administrative units subject to the 2023-2025 restructuring had sent their overall plans to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Based on the synthesis of opinions from relevant central ministries and branches, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued 56 documents providing comments on the arrangement plans of localities.

Currently, localities are urgently developing and completing the Project to organize the collection of voters' opinions, approved by People's Councils at all levels according to regulations, to report to the Government to submit to the National Assembly Standing Committee for consideration and decision.

The total number of district-level administrative units to be reorganized is 50, including 11 units subject to reorganization, 16 encouraged units, and 23 adjacent units. After the reorganization, it is expected to reduce 14 units.

Meanwhile, the total number of district-level administrative units that need to be rearranged but the locality requested not to rearrange due to special factors is 19 units.

For commune level, the total number of commune-level administrative units to be reorganized is 1,243, including 738 units subject to reorganization, 109 encouraged units and 396 adjacent units. After reorganization, it is expected to reduce 619 units.

The total number of administrative units subject to rearrangement but the locality proposed not to rearrange due to special factors is 515 units.

The arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels in the 2023-2025 period must be completed before October 2024 so that localities can prepare to organize Party Congresses at all levels for the 2025-2030 term, towards the 14th National Party Congress, in which the grassroots level will implement in the first quarter of 2025.

Thus, the actual time to carry out all the procedures for arranging administrative units is only about 6 months while the arrangement of administrative units is an important and complicated content, with a large level of impact and influence, the implementation process is carried out strictly, through many stages, so localities face many difficulties in ensuring the required time schedule.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee for the implementation of administrative unit arrangement at district and commune levels.

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra stated that in the coming time, it is necessary to focus on doing a good job of propaganda work, creating consensus and high unity in awareness and action among all classes of people, especially those affected and influenced in the rearrangement process.

During the implementation process, it is necessary to prepare a thorough, scientific, flexible arrangement plan that is suitable to the specific situation, conditions, and circumstances of each agency, unit, and locality.

Localities need to pay special attention to reviewing and identifying cases that are eligible for arrangement, encouraged arrangement and adjacent areas in the period 2023 - 2025.

For cases subject to arrangement but the locality proposes not to arrange or not to arrange in the period 2023-2025, a convincing explanation must be provided, with sufficient grounds according to the provisions of Article 3 of Resolution No. 35/2023/UBTVQH15.

Specifically, in the case specified in Point c, Clause 1, Article 3 of Resolution No. 35/2023/UBTVQH15, two conditions must be met at the same time: (i) having an important position in terms of national defense and security or having characteristics of historical traditions, culture, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, customs and practices; (ii) if arranged with another adjacent administrative unit, it will lead to instability in terms of national defense, security, order and social safety.

Complete the conditions and standards of urban administrative units expected to be formed after the urban planning and classification arrangement, review and evaluate urban quality at the same time as developing administrative unit arrangement projects, ensuring that when submitted to the Government, these projects have fully implemented the procedures and met the conditions and standards as prescribed.

In addition, focus on developing a Project to arrange administrative units at district and commune levels for the period 2023 - 2025 to submit to competent authorities, ensuring quality and progress as required.

Focus on directing the timely resolution of problems and difficulties arising from the rearrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels, specifically: (1) Arrange and resolve policies for cadres, civil servants and public employees affected by the rearrangement, ensuring the right subjects, publicity, transparency, compliance with the Party's policies and regulations of the law; (2) Review, compile a list and evaluate the current status and situation of use of public headquarters at administrative units (including units that have been rearranged in the period of 2019 - 2021 and units expected to be rearranged in the period of 2023 - 2025); review, adjust and update land use planning and plans to serve the rearrangement and handling of headquarters; Balance and allocate budget resources to invest in repairing, renovating and upgrading working offices that continue to be used to serve the operations of administrative units formed after the arrangement in accordance with the planning and actual conditions of the locality; (3) Create favorable conditions for businesses and people in converting documents due to changes in the arrangement of administrative units, resolving regimes and policies associated with administrative units for people to ensure timeliness, transparency and correctness.

Direct, urge, guide and inspect the process of implementing the arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels; reward, encourage and motivate localities, units and individuals to perform well in the arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels.

At the same time, report to competent authorities to consider responsibility for cases where localities are not resolute and show signs of avoiding the implementation of the arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels as required by the Politburo, the National Assembly Standing Committee and the Government.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Head of the Steering Committee, emphasized the importance of reorganizing administrative units at district and commune levels to make the administrative apparatus more streamlined, effective and efficient.

The Deputy Prime Minister highly appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Home Affairs - the standing agency of the Steering Committee, and the ministries and branches that are members of the Steering Committee as well as the localities in completing a large amount of work in a short time.

The Deputy Prime Minister estimated that about 60% of the tasks have been completed, but the remaining tasks are very difficult, sensitive, and affect the regime and policies, so they must be done carefully while there is not much time left, requiring the members of the Steering Committee to be more dedicated, try harder, and be more active.

The Deputy Prime Minister assessed that the arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels is now more favorable than at the beginning of the term due to more experience. There are even 20 localities that proactively proposed to arrange administrative boundaries at district level to have room for development. The proposed solutions are also more harmonious, respecting reasonable suggestions from the grassroots.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized 5 principles in implementing upcoming tasks, including: Issuing guiding documents according to simplified procedures; tasks that are allowed to be "debt" according to regulations should be left to be implemented later because if they are done horizontally, they will not be completed in 6 months; tasks that cannot be performed should be transferred to the next stage but must be limited to the maximum extent; implementing the remaining tasks simultaneously to ensure progress; respecting the opinions of the grassroots, avoiding being mechanical, otherwise failure will occur.

The Deputy Prime Minister asked the members of the Steering Committee to give their opinions so that the Ministry of Home Affairs can complete the Steering Committee's Operation Plan in 2024 and soon submit it to the Deputy Prime Minister for signing and promulgation.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested that communication work must be "done well and effectively" in many forms, including social networks, with concise, easily accessible content that has great communication value.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Home Affairs to prepare a report summarizing difficulties, problems and recommendations of localities, send it to members of the Steering Committee and assign competent and professional staff to accompany each member of the Steering Committee when working with assigned localities.

The Steering Committee members carefully study the summary report of the Ministry of Home Affairs before meeting with the localities; flexibly implement the meeting format with the localities within the next 2 weeks; fully and objectively receive information from the localities to report to the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for general coordination, building a mechanism for receiving and exchanging information smoothly and quickly with each member of the Steering Committee and localities; organizing the appraisal of administrative unit arrangement projects of localities, before submitting them to the Government for consideration and submission to the National Assembly Standing Committee for approval.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall guide localities with provincial planning approved by competent authorities before the National Assembly issues Resolution No. 35/2023/UBTVQH15 dated July 12, 2023 and have a plan to arrange administrative units at district and commune levels so that localities can propose planning adjustments to ensure consistency.

The Ministry of Finance shall soon submit to the Government decrees replacing Decree 167/2017/ND-CP and Decree 67/2021/ND-CP regulating the rearrangement and handling of public assets, including the addition of subjects being administrative units at district and commune levels to carry out the rearrangement.

The Ministry of Construction provides specific guidance on urban classification for cities, towns, and townships expected to be formed after the rearrangement and assessment of the level of urban infrastructure development for districts and wards expected to be formed after the rearrangement.

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