The achievement was acknowledged by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at a regular Government meeting in Hanoi on March 2.

He said the agricultural sector overcame a lot difficulties such as natural disasters and epidemics and bird flu was contained in southern provinces.  Export turnover fetched US$6,759 million, a year-on-year increase of 23.5 percent while additionally increased foreign direct investment (FDI) capital hit US$1,911 million, up 47 percent. Notably, the consumer price index (CPI) in the first two months was lower than the corresponding level of three years earlier despite some essential goods being priced as high as market prices.

However, Mr Dung asked the Government to make greater effort in resolving urgent issues relating to firecracker explosion, improper use of pubic cars and traffic accidents which saw a sharp increase during the lunar New Year Festival (Tet). He called on ministries and sectors to synchronously take drastic measures to ensure an economic growth rate of 8.5 percent, accelerate administrative reform and combat corruption.

The Government leader underscored the need to boost economic production, strictly control the macro economy such as exchange rates, market prices and overspending from the State budget while ensuring sufficient supplies of electricity for production and preventing the recurrence of epidemics. He also requested them to boost exports, accelerate the implementation of  major projects and intensify poverty reduction with a focus on helping farmers shift animal and plant restructuring and readjusting hospital and school fees.

In terms of administrative reform, PM Dung noted that the working group on implementing the Enterprise Law and Investment Law examined more than 300 types of licenses and asked ministries and relevant agencies to abolish 33 licenses to facilitate administrative procedure cleareance.

Ministries and sectors should accelerate the building of laws, decrees and circulars under their management towards perfecting the market economy institution. They were asked to undertake the “one-stop” policy as it is being carried out in business setting up and continue examining and removing sub-licenses.

Prime Minister Dung entrusted the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with assisting localities to control the environment. He also asked ministries and sectors to complete legal documents relating to anti-corruption activities and enhance the capacity of dealing with complaints and denunciations and handling negative cases.

Debating the Government report in the 2002-2007 term, cabinet members agreed that in the past five years, the Government renewed its leadership and improved its performance, helping stabilize the country’s economy and obtain many important achievements in economics, society, security, national defense and foreign affairs.

PM Dung appreciated their opinions and asked the Government Office to finalise the report which highlights obtained results in such areas as State management, execution and implementation, and points out pending issues, weaknesses and lessons learnt in the past five years. The final report will be debated at the coming 11^th session of the 11^th National Assembly.

Also at the regular meeting, the Government gathered opinions on the Prime Minister’s instruction on dealing with weaknesses in land planning and usage in investment projects, a supplementary report on the results of socio-economic tasks in 2006 and tasks in 2007, and a supplementary report on the results of State budget tasks in 2006 and estimates in 2007.

PM Dung said that leaders of the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City’s People Committees will be invited to regular cabinet meetings beginning this month. The two cities contribute nearly 30 percent of GDP and nearly 50 percent of the State budget.