Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Minh Quang

(VOVworld) – A two-and-a-half day Q&A session began at the NA on June 13th presided over by Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung. The five Cabinet members facing questions from the National Assembly’s deputies, include Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other four ministers. The Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Nguyen Minh Quang opened the session and VOV’s reporter Ngoc Anh reports.

One of the issues voters across the country are interested in is the master-plan to re-structure the nation’s economy. The Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh talks about the plan ‘After we have received feedback on the plan, the Government will instruct all ministries, sectors and provinces to draw up sub-plans relevant to their remit. To date, the Government has completed the plans to restructure investments, the financial and securities market, and state-owned enterprises. We also need to study which areas need to be prioritized instead of spreading our investment too thin’.

Minister Vinh said the Ministry will work with other ministries and sectors to tighten up the management of public investments, and the use of ODA and FDI capital as well as leading the fight against corruption in this area. He added that the priorities will be controlling inflation, ensuring social welfare and maintaining a reasonable GDP growth rate.

Minister Nguyen Minh Quang underlined the complexity of this high profile issue, saying that the Government has issued a decree about this “In line with Decree 69, compensation payment and land clearances have made remarkable progress. This has helped to resolve public concerns on compensation and support for land owners. The improved rights of land owners whose land has been reclaimed have received a positive response from the public sector. Most local authorities have tried their best to resolve these matters. We will be providing the Government with a detailed consultation on the issues.”

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Quang said that his Ministry will propose that the Government extends the terms that people can keep the land allocated to them from 30 to 50 years. Minister Quang admitted that environmental pollution in rivers, craft villages and deforestation had also become pressing issues which required more cooperation between the Ministry and local authorities before being resolved.