Unified name of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment after merger

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha agreed to the above content at a meeting on merging the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, according to an announcement from the Government Office on December 19.

Thus, the proposed names of the two ministries after the merger have changed compared to before and are shorter. According to the Government's organizational restructuring plan announced on December 6, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will merge and are expected to take the new name of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Environment.

However, on December 10, the Steering Committee for the merger project of the two ministries proposed a new name: the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment.

The two ministries believe that the name after the merger must ensure continuity and cover the basic functions and tasks of the two ministries at present; at the same time, continue to affirm the leadership and direction of the Party and State towards rural issues.

In the announcement yesterday, December 19, the Deputy Prime Minister assigned the two ministries to continue to complete the plan to perfect the new apparatus after the merger. The principle is that one agency can perform many tasks, but one task is assigned to only one agency to take the lead in implementing and taking primary responsibility.

The merger of two ministries requires consolidation and resolution of overlapping tasks in the new ministries and with other ministries. For example, the overlap in management of rural areas, water resources, and infrastructure between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Construction and Transport, and other ministries.

The determination of the organization's name will be based on its functions and tasks, comprehensively demonstrating its effectiveness, efficiency and operational performance.

In addition to restructuring the apparatus, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha noted ensuring policies for cadres, civil servants, public employees, and workers. The two ministries also need to review overlapping content such as veterinary medicine with animal husbandry, irrigation with water resources management, hydrometeorology with disaster prevention. The goal is to ensure no overlapping tasks.

The Steering Committee for the merger project of the two ministries received the above instructions, completed the project and draft decree on the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the new ministry, sent it to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Home Affairs for appraisal; and submitted it to the Government Steering Committee for consideration and decision.

It is expected that after the merger, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will have 30 focal points, a reduction of 25 focal points compared to the total of 55 focal points currently in the organizational structure of the two ministries (a reduction of 45%). Of which, the general staff block will reduce 8 focal points (a reduction of 50%); the specialized state management block will reduce 10 focal points compared to the total of 27 focal points currently (a reduction of 37.03%); the public service unit block will reduce 7 focal points compared to the total of 12 focal points currently (a reduction of 58.33%).