Lai Chau Striving for Modern Administration

Lai Chau province is accelerating administrative procedure reform, enhancing the competence of public employees, further decentralising administration, and applying many investment preference mechanisms to gradually build a modern administration where citizens and businesses are the heart of public service.

Speeding up administrative reform
In recent years, Lai Chau province has actively quickened administrative reforms in order to build open, streamlined mechanisms and policies to facilitate business operations.

First of all, policymaking is done in compliance with the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents of 2015. All draft legal documents compiled and prepared by provincial departments and agencies are censored by judicial bodies being submitted to Provincial People's Committee for promulgation or reported to Provincial People’s Committee to forward to the Provincial People’s Council for consideration and approval.

In addition, administrative bodies publicly post administrative procedures in different forms like at their working offices, at reception divisions, and on websites to facilitate individuals, organisations and enterprises to search information. In the first six months of 2017, as many as 1,224 procedures at the provincial level, 230 procedures at the district level, and 135 procedures at the commune level were settled in the one-place single-window mechanism. As of the second quarter of 2017, the province had 136 units applying the one-place single-window mechanism to administrative procedures. Lai Chau also deployed the electronic one-stop single-window in five district-level units and two commune-level units.

Information technology application and development in administrative units have many positive changes. Currently, 100 per cent of State agencies are equipped with computers, powered with LAN connections at provincial and district levels. Up to 1,419 administrative procedures are provided online at the province’s electronic informational portal, including 373 administrative procedures at Level 3 and Level 4.

In 2018 and the following years, the Provincial People’s Committee will continue to direct agencies and units to carry out public administration reform tasks in all fields as planned in 2016 - 2020, and annual plans. Typical tasks include stepping up communications on public administration reform, directing and urging relevant agencies and units to seriously perform their assigned tasks; actively completing preparations to put the Lai Chau Public Administrative Centre into operation, building the Lai Chau E-government Architecture Frame Project, and deploying the digital certification plan in 2018.

Mr Do Ngoc An, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, said, Lai Chau authorities are making an effort to review and reduce administrative procedures to shorten the time for people and businesses; and gradually raise the expertise and sense of responsibility of public employees for their jobs. And, the operation of the Lai Chau Provincial Public Administration Centre will create breakthrough changes in administrative reforms in the province and gradually shape a civilised, modern and transparent administration where citizens and enterprises are at the heart of service.

Creating a favourable business environment
In recent years, Lai Chau province has determined to improve the investment and business environment, a both immediate urgent task and a long-term strategic vision, directed all levels and sectors to change operations, enhance the managerial and executive capacity in order to create a favourable investment and business environment for enterprises and investors.

In order to carry out Resolution 35/NQ-CP of the Government dated May 16, 2016, the Lai Chau Provincial People’s Committee issued Decision 935/QD-UBND dated July 29, 2016 on implementation of business support to 2020 in Lai Chau province.

The Provincial People's Committee instructs departments and sectors to thoroughly understand and implement contents of Decision 935/QD-UBND dated July 29, 2016 and complete specific tasks. The province paid a special attention to applying the Code of Conduct to all public employees; prevented all acts of bureaucracy, corruption and harassment; publicised processes of administrative procedures and profiles of public employees at the service, and seriously handled all bureaucratic officials. Besides, the province continued to modernise administrative procedures and facilitate enterprises rather than helping them to tackle their hardships.

Lai Chau also regularly adjusts practical incentive and support policies and newly promulgated legal documents, ensure highest supports for tax, land compensation, site clearance, infrastructure construction and personnel training; and inspire innovative business start-ups. Moreover, the province timely honours enterprises and entrepreneurs with outstanding contributions to local socioeconomic development. Every year, Lai Chau hosts business meetings and conferences with local enterprises to learn about their existing hardships. The provincial government orders its subordinates not to inspect local business entities more than once a year except for cases with clear law violations.

To carry out the above Action Plan, the Department of Information and Communications collaborated with the Department of Planning and Investment and announced telephone hotlines to receive and answer questions filed by enterprises on the province’s website, which has exclusive columns for citizens and businesses to ask, and authorities to respond.

Lai Chau province is applying many solutions to have a better business and investment environment, actively build a government of business service and support. “We believe that, with the determination of the entire political system, Lai Chau province will create increasingly strong confidence for investors and businesses when they choose Lai Chau to invest and develop production and business activities,” said Do Ngoc An.