Coupled with its efforts to realize the "dual goal" of preventing the COVID-19 pandemic as well as boosting business performance and taking care of people's livelihoods, Thai Binh province has carried out many socioeconomic development projects and programs, removed "bottlenecks" and opened up all resources to build Thai Binh into a fairly developed province in 2025, a leading province in 2030 and a developed province in the Red River Delta in 2045, as stated in the Resolution of the 20th Provincial Party Congress (2020-2025 term), said Chairman of Thai Binh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Khac Than. Ngo Khuyen reports.
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In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first months of 2021, Thai Binh province resolved to realize the "dual goal" and achieved many positive economic development results. Could you please tell us more about this result?
In the first months of 2021, Thai Binh province engaged the entire political system in COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. To grasp pandemic development; actively take early actions from grassroots levels; drastically and synchronously launch pandemic prevention and control measures such as “three early actions”, “4 localized measures" and "5K + vaccine"; and strengthen information technology application in health declaration and management, Thai Binh province has well controlled the disease. As of November 18, 2021, the province had 525 COVID-19 infections with no deaths recorded. To proactively deal with the pandemic, the province has activated three hospitals with more than 900 beds for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The province has also completed 1,215,172 injections of vaccination, of which 168,235 people have been fully vaccinated.
With life being safely protected, people confidently did business, an important contribution to the province's GRDP growth in the first nine months of the year, which expanded 5.91% year on year. The agricultural sector maintained good growth momentum with a production value of VND19,963 billion, equal to 70.1% of the yearly plan and up 2.4% over the same period of 2020. New countryside construction kept going substantively and effectively. Four communes were recognized as advanced new rural areas. The province created and issued support mechanisms and policies for the construction of rural electric lighting systems. The One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program was actively implemented, with 17 four-star OCOP products recognized.
Industrial production gradually recovered, expanding 13.4% to VND55,451 billion, equaling 69.3% of the yearly plan and up 15% year on year. Economic zone planning was strongly carried out; reviewed and adjusted. The province also adjusted the area and added suitable industries for some industrial zones.
Trade and service activities were quite stable. The consumer price index in nine months dipped 0.04%. The service value rose by 3.1%. Total retail revenue of goods and services increased by 7.2% to VND36,559 billion. Export value climbed 45% to US$1,578 million, equal to 99% of the yearly plan, while import value jumped 46.2% to US$1,354 million, equaling 99.1% of the full-year plan. Budget revenue was VND15,728 billion, reaching 107.4% of the estimate, up 8%, of which local budget revenue was 13,198.5 billion, fulfilling 108.2% of the plan and reaching 99.7% of the value from the same period of 2020.
In the January-September period, the province licensed 59 projects (including 30 new and 29 existing projects allowed for expansion) with a total registered capital of VND16,723 billion (4.5 times higher than a year-ago period) and granted new business registration certificates to 611 enterprises and 60 branches and representative offices, totaling 7,733 enterprises, 921 branches and representative offices with a total registered capital of VND97,529 billion.
Although the above results remained modest, they created confidence and motivation for the province to fulfill the plan targets in 2021 and the following years.
How will the province continue to improve the investment and business environment, raise the PCI index and promote investment attraction in the coming period?
After five years of carrying out Resolution 01 of the Executive Board of the 19th Provincial Party Committee (2016-2020 term), Thai Binh province has achieved important results: The business investment environment improved significantly, resulting in more investment inflows; the PCI Index kept going up in the period 2016-2020. In 2016 the province ranked 40th and the province ranked 25th in 2020 (up 15 places compared to 2016). The quality of investment administrative procedures has been continuously raised. However, the outcome of Resolution 01 and investment attraction are incommensurate with local potential, advantages or expectations of local leaders, people and businesses. To meet requirements and capture new opportunities, the province will need to supplement tasks and solutions to ensure rapid improvement of the business investment environment and, more importantly, attract more investment projects in various industries in the next five years.
Therefore, the Thai Binh Provincial Party Committee promulgated Conclusion 22-KL/TU dated September 8, 2021 of the Provincial Party Committee's Standing Committee on continuing to implement Resolution 01-NQ/TU of the Provincial Party Executive Committee (19th term) with many new tasks and solutions added to meet requirements and tasks of the Provincial Party Committee in the 2020 - 2025 term: Building Thai Binh into a developed province in the Red River Delta; improving the business investment environment; introducing solutions on planning, site clearance, and capacity building for professional and methodical investment promotion. This resolution also adds solutions for stronger capacity, higher awareness and higher responsibility of all levels and branches of authority, especially civil servants who perform their tasks; reforming investment administrative procedures, reviewing investment attraction documents, and applying new thoughts and ways of doing things, particularly for large strategic projects.
To successfully realize the goals announced for the 2020-2025 term of the Provincial Party Committee and create breakthroughs for development in the coming years, what programs and projects will the province carry out?
To support workers who are having difficulty in finding jobs due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021, the Provincial People's Committee has assigned departments and sectors to work out policies on market development for goods and services: "The program of sustainable economic recovery until 2023 of Thai Binh province", "Project on export promotion in 2021-2025”; "Program for development of supporting industries in 2021-2025"; and “Project on development of industry and trade in 2021-2025”.
A number of investment promotion mechanisms and policies have been and will be promulgated in 2021 (namely the mechanisms and policies to encourage investment in a number of agricultural and rural areas; project on support mechanisms and policies of investment, treatment of domestic waste, etc.);
The province has set up a special task force on removing difficulties for businesses and people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To meet housing demand, the province has launched many programs, plans and schemes to encourage investment in commercial and social housing development projects such as Thai Binh Housing Development Plan in 2021”; and “Thai Binh Urban Development Program and Housing Development Program in 2021-2030”.
In 2021, the province directed relevant agencies to work out and carry out some projects to support their employees such as "Project on training and fostering human resources for Thai Binh education sector in 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030, to meet fundamental and comprehensive reform requirements"; "Employment program and occupational safety and hygiene program in Thai Binh in 2021-2025"; and “Thai Binh education and training development strategy in 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050”.
In addition, the province instructed competent bodies to develop many science and technology programs, plans and projects such as "Thai Binh Science and Technology Development Project in 2021- 2025, with a vision to 2030”; "Thai Binh Digital Transformation Program to 2025, with an eye to 2030"; "Project on Digital Transformation and Information Technology Application for Thai Binh education sector in 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030"; and "Project on Investment Attraction for Thai Binh Industry, Commerce and Services in 2025".
Source: Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi