Do a good job of communication and create consensus in administrative unit arrangement.

On the afternoon of February 28, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee for the implementation of administrative unit rearrangement at district and commune levels for the 2023-2030 period.

50 districts and 1,243 communes will be rearranged

The report at the meeting said 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, through 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.

According to the report on the number of district and commune-level administrative units to be reorganized in the 2023-2025 period, the total number of district-level administrative units to be reorganized is 50 units (including: 11 units subject to reorganization, 16 encouraged units and 23 adjacent units), after the reorganization, it is expected to reduce 14 units.

The total number of district-level administrative units that need to be rearranged but the locality has 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 units (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 commune-level administrative units subject to rearrangement but localities requesting not to rearrange due to special factors is 515 units.

Reporting at the meeting, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that 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 the entire administrative unit arrangement process is only about 6 months.

Meanwhile, because the arrangement of administrative units is an important and complicated matter with a large level of impact and influence, and the implementation process is carried out strictly through many stages, localities face many difficulties in ensuring the required time schedule.

"This is the final stage, while the number of administrative units to be reorganized is very large, especially in localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nghe An, Hai Phong... Therefore, localities must make efforts to complete it," the Minister of Home Affairs emphasized.

Therefore, in the coming time, we must focus on a number of key tasks and solutions such as: focusing on directing the timely resolution of problems and difficulties arising from the rearrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels; arranging and resolving policies for cadres, civil servants and public employees affected by the rearrangement; reviewing, making a list and assessing the current status and situation of use of public headquarters in administrative units; reviewing, adjusting and updating land use planning and plans...

In addition, the Steering Committee will also 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.

Do good communication work, create consensus

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang acknowledged and highly appreciated the efforts of the members of the Steering Committee, the Ministry of Home Affairs, ministries, branches and localities who have made efforts to implement and achieved initial positive results.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of the policy of restructuring district and commune levels with the goal of streamlining the apparatus and improving efficiency.

In the coming time, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the need to urgently simplify internal administrative procedures and shorten the time for commenting and appraising projects.

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 Action Plan in 2024.

The Ministry of Home Affairs shall develop a mechanism to promptly and effectively receive and process information from members of the Steering Committee and localities; proactively review and synthesize recommendations and problems from localities for coordination in handling, guidance and support.

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.

The Ministry of Finance shall promptly submit to the Government a decree replacing Decree No. 167/2017/ND-CP and Decree No. 67/2021/ND-CP regulating the rearrangement and handling of public assets.

In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the need to focus on doing a good job of propaganda, creating consensus and high unity in awareness and action among all classes of people, especially those affected and influenced in the process of administrative unit arrangement; preparing a thorough, scientific, flexible arrangement plan, suitable to the specific situation, conditions and circumstances of each agency, unit and locality.