Government holds its March meeting
Ha Noi, March 29 (VNA) -- The Government held its regular meeting in Ha Noi on Mar. 28-29 chaired by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and his deputies Nguyen Manh Cam, Nguyen Cong Tan and Pham Gia Khiem.
Cabinet discussed and gave opinions about a report on foreign direct investment during the 1996-2000 period, offered solutions for the 2001-2005 period and proposed an administrative reform strategy for 2001-2010.
They also reviewed implementation of socio-economic development plans in March and the first quarter of 2001; one year's implementation of the Enterprise Law and discussed ways to solve outstanding and issues.
The cabinet also gave opinions about important draft legal documents including a draft decree for protecting service management; a draft law amending and supplementing several provisions of the Labour Code land a draft Social Insurance Law.
The Government affirmed that Viet Nam's policy to attract foreign direct investment was correct and timely and said it had gained encouraging results.
It also identified the need to attract more foreign investors and increase the efficiency of foreign investment by devising a strategy; improving the quality of attracting foreign investment and perfecting the legal system.
Other Government measures are: "renovating and effectively implementing mechanisms and policies; increasing the effectiveness of the State apparatus and management; developing human resources; removing difficulties; creating a favourable environment for projects and gaining the trust of foreign investors.
Discussing a draft strategy for administrative reform during the next ten years, Cabinet focussed on the simultaneous renovation of the institutional apparatus and organisation, public employees and finance. They will continue studying and providing suggestions about this strategy and submit it for consideration in May this year.
The Government considered the Enterprise Law an important breakthrough in the State's policy for re-organizing State-owned enterprises and reforming the State administration.
Application of the law was an important positive change in institutionalizing the people's right to do business freely, thus improving their living conditions. More than 18,000 enterprises have been established under the Enterprise Law, thus mobilizing a substantial amount of investment capital for socio-economic development, generating employment and increasing worker income
At the closing session, Prime Minister Khai said that the country had gained satisfactory results for the planned first quarter, thus creating a high growth rate against the first three months of last year.
The Prime Minister emphasized four tasks for the second quarter:
* The promotion and implementation of effective in-depth dministrative reform by removing difficulties and creating favourable conditions for enterprises and people to do business;
* Resolve pressing economic issues, particularly the consumption of farm produce and increase construction investment demand;
* Efficiently implement the hunger-elimination-and-poverty-reduction programme together with Programme 135 to improve and stabilise the living conditions of people in more than 2,000 disadvantaged communes, particularly those in remote, mountainous and border areas; and
* Settle people's petitions and social issues, thus contributing to the maintenance of social stability, the creation of jobs and abolition of social evils.--VNA .
