Reform administrative procedures in Agriculture and Rural Development: Avoid 'stagnation and delay'

Improve management efficiency by reducing administrative procedures

Previously, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Decision No. 932/QD-TTg dated August 6, 2023, to establish an Administrative Procedures Reform Working Group (TTHC) with 15 members who are leaders of the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Planning and Investment, Finance, Industry and Trade, Construction, Transportation, Natural Resources and Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Science and Technology, Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs and Director of the Department of Capital Control Administrative Procedures, Government Office, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang.

At the first meeting on September 8, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang - Head of the Prime Minister's Administrative Procedure Reform Working Group, directed ministries, branches, and localities to focus on implementation. Perform tasks including amending and supplementing legal documents under the authority of the Government, the Prime Minister, and the Minister to implement plans to reduce and simplify business regulations, administrative procedures, and legal documents. Citizen sheet and administrative procedure decentralization have been approved; enhance the effectiveness of policy responses of ministries, branches, and localities; Rectifying disciplinary and administrative discipline; Improve the quality of solving managerial procedures for people and businesses.

Chairing the Conference to deploy the results of the first session, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said there are seven common task groups in implementing administrative procedure reform. Through the implementation process, it has been shown that the reduction of managerial procedures and the synchronous implementation of administrative reform are significant factors in creating a favorable environment for businesses and people to participate in economic and social development actively.

To carry out this work synchronously and effectively, the Deputy Minister requested the Ministry's Office to study plans to establish groups and coordinate with units under the Ministry, between Ministries, and between Departments. Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said reducing administrative procedures will help improve management efficiency. With the implementation of the reform of one-stop managerial procedures, the Deputy Minister emphasized the coordination between the one-stop department and office focal points on a thorough perspective of "not allowing stagnation or delay," ensuring social satisfaction. 

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Toan, Director of the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics, realizes that the reform of administrative procedures is associated with digital transformation, and electronic information portals are the focal point for operating the technical system technology, National Single Window system, and public services. The Ministry's electronic information portal will be upgraded for use as soon as possible with the expectation of integrating advanced technology to provide the best services and information connection to people and businesses.

At the Conference, Mr. Le Van Thanh, Chief of Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, informed about the conclusions of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang at the recent first meeting. Some shortcomings and limitations hinder reform and reduce administrative procedures, such as some agencies and units not upholding the sense of responsibility, especially the role of the leader. Coordination between agencies and departments still needs more initiative, closeness, and timeliness. There is also the holding back, partial interests of the industry and field, and the need for more decentralization and decentralization.

To overcome the above limitations, the Deputy Prime Minister required ministries, branches, and localities to change their thinking and working methods and promote their leaders' roles and responsibilities to implement strategies such as focusing on reforming internal administrative processes and procedures to overcome the situation of avoiding and shifting blame and substantially reducing managerial procedures and regulations related to business activities, meeting two management requirements, and creating convenience for people and businesses, substantial decentralization in handling administrative functions from the central to local levels and within each Ministry, branch, and local government level. 

Ministries and departments need to focus on policymaking, institution-building, strategy, planning, planning, and strengthening inspection and supervision of implementation. Strengthen the application of information technology and digital transformation in administrative procedure reform. At the same time, focus on drastically implementing specific results and products for the assigned tasks in the Key Administrative Procedures Reform Plan for the last six months of 2023 issued together with Decision No. 933/ Decision-TTg dated August 6, 2023, of the Prime Minister.

In the spirit of receiving the Deputy Prime Minister's opinions at the meeting, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized to the heads of units, departments, and agencies that administrative procedure reform, digital transformation, and application of 4.0 technology must be accurate. Reforms and cuts must be streamlined and standardized but must ensure development is maintained.

Complete simplification of at least 50% of internal administrative procedures

In addition to the regular tasks that need to continue to be implemented according to the Plan and requirements of the Government and the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development focuses on implementing five critical groups of tasks, with a specific deadline of 4 months at the end of the year, as a basis for evaluating the level of completion of year-end tasks.

Firstly, the Ministry will review and restructure the administrative procedures process provided on the National Public Service Portal, the information system for handling managerial procedures at the ministerial level, to reduce the information that must be declared when performing online public services route; Submit to the Prime Minister for approval plans that are beyond authority; Guaranteed to cut at least 20% of information that must be declared by September 2023.

Secondly, implement plans to reduce and simplify business regulations and decentralize administrative procedures. Implement strategies to reduce and streamline 102 rules in 17 legal documents at the Department of Fisheries, Department of Animal Health, Department of Plant Protection, and Department of Crop Production, Develop a decentralized plan to resolve six administrative procedures and groups of managerial procedures in 6 legal documents at the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, Forest Protection Department, Forestry Department, and Department of Quality, Processing, and Development market.

Thirdly, review and report to the Prime Minister on a plan to simplify regulations and administrative procedures related to fertilizer testing, production, and trading. In particular, the Plant Protection Department must review and complete it in September.

Fourthly, the Ministry will review and simplify internal administrative procedures according to Decision 1085/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister, complete at least 50% of internal managerial procedures under its management, and propose simplification plans at least 20% of administrative procedures, cutting 20% of administrative procedure compliance costs by December 2023.

Fifthly, continue to handle feedback and recommendations from people and businesses.

To carry out the above tasks effectively, the Ministry's Office requests agencies and units assigned to preside over the development of projects and draft legal documents to research and evaluate the impact of administrative procedures and policies to ensure effective implementation of the above tasks. Ensure full regulation of necessary managerial procedures for management activities, ensure legal rights and obligations of individuals and organizations, and closely coordinate with the Department of Legal Affairs and Ministry Office in commenting, appraising, and controlling the regulations on administrative procedures in projects and drafts.

Strictly implement regulations on digitizing documents, receiving, resolving, and returning results of administrative procedures documents according to rules, ensuring the receipt, processing, and publicization of results of handling feedback and recommendations of users, citizens, and businesses on the National Public Service Portal.

The Ministry's Office also proposed that the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics review the Ministry's Online Public Service Portal to ensure it meets legal requirements and provides the software addresses 21 online public services. The process runs smoothly 24/24, with online payment and 100% digitization of documents processed on the System.