The 12th meeting session of the 7th Provincial People’s Council (term 2004-2009) opened.

Delegates at the meeting

        Delivering the opening speech at the session, Secretary Tran Dinh Thanh said that the economic growth rate continued to be high in 2007 with a GDP growth of 15.1% against 2006, reaching the target of Resolution (the highest rate in recent years). Budget revenues increased highly compared to the same period, accounting for 100.1% over the year’s estimate; FDI attraction also increased significantly; the high increase of industrial production value exceeded the target of Resolution; the increase in import-export activities and capital mobilization also exceeded the target. Progress has been made in many cultural-social aspects. The tasks of education-training and health care were given much attention. Political security and social safety order were kept stable.

        However, there still remained shortcomings in some aspects of social-economic activities. Particularly, tasks

Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee giving the opening speech

 of compensation for ground clearance and resettlement supporting still existed weakness and limitation despite experience gained in the previous years. The tardy progress of construction and disbursement of capital for basic construction projects reduced the effect of investment. The price hike of goods and services in year-end months impacted on residents’ lives. The administrative reform task was still insufficient. The professional qualification of cadres was still low, especially ones at grassroots level. The cooperation between functional agencies and apparatus of government at all levels was not synchronous across the province. The alarming problems that residents care most were environmental pollution and hygiene and safety of foodstuffs. The tasks for practicing thrift and combating wastefulness and corruption were stepped up but did not meet the demands in reality.

The view of session

        Secretary Tran Dinh Thanh required that delegates should pay attention to analyzing the results of state budget revenues and expenditures in 2007, town planning, the progress and quality of basic construction projects, especially key projects or projects belonging to the fields of education, health and social security, and proposing solutions to the reform of administrative procedure in order to reduce slowness of basic construction investment.

        At the opening session, Vice-Chairperson of the Provincial People’s Committee Dinh Quoc Thai made the summary reports on implementing tasks of social economy, security and national defense in 2007 and targets of 2008; reviewing direction and administration of the Provincial People’s Committee in 2007; and adjusting land prices in the province in 2008. At the same time, sections of the Provincial People’s Committee reported their inspection and all delegates discussed above-mentioned contents.

Reported by Thu Dung, Translated by THKC