Completely resolve problems and accelerate public investment disbursement

Khanh Hoa - Buon Me Thuot Highway

Some key projects have very low disbursement rates

Currently, according to reports from ministries and localities, the disbursement of public investment capital has improved. Capital allocation has exceeded the assigned plan, with priority given to important national projects, expressway projects... Ministries, branches and localities have actively proposed many solutions to speed up progress. Disbursement of capital right from the beginning of the year and the following months of 2024, aiming to disburse 95% of the capital plan as requested by the Prime Minister.

However, looking directly at reality, the Ministry of Finance has pointed out many long-standing difficulties that have not been completely resolved, including problems related to key national projects.

Recently, in a dispatch sent to the Ministry of Transport and the People's Committees of centrally-run provinces and cities, the Ministry of Finance said that the total state budget capital plan for 2024 allocated for important public works, national and key projects in the transportation sector were VND 125,608.2 billion, accounting for 19.1% of the total state budget capital plan assigned by the Prime Minister to ministries, central agencies and localities ( VND657,348.9 billion). However, by the end of March 31, 2024, new projects had disbursed VND14,030.88 billion, reaching 11.2% of the assigned capital plan, lower than the general disbursement rate of the country (by 12.16 %), in which the disbursement rate of the local budget capital plan only reaches 6.2% of the 2024 plan.

In addition, by the end of March 2024, many projects have not yet disbursed the allocated 2024 capital plan or have a very low disbursement rate (less than 0.1% of the plan). Some projects have not been assigned a plan for 2024 with local budget capital or have just been assigned a very low number of plans with local budget capital such as component project 2 of the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway Project (phase 1 has not been assigned to 2024 plan); component project 1.1 of the Hanoi Capital Region 4 Belt Project still has VND 1,506 billion of the 2021-2025 medium-term plan that has not been assigned; component project 2.1 of the Hanoi Capital Region 4 Belt Project still has VND2,957 billion of the 2021-2025 medium-term plan that has not been assigned...

Also, according to the Ministry of Finance, on March 30, 2024, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 258/QD-TTg on assigning estimates and investment plans for central budget capital in 2024 from sources of revenue collection, cut, and save 2021 central budget expenditures for the Ministry of Transport and 8 localities to implement three important national highway projects. However, by April 23, 2024, only the Ministry of Transport and 4 localities (Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak, Can Tho, Hau Giang) assigned detailed 2024 central budget capital plans for management with a total allocated capital of VND 4,021 billion. Four localities, An Giang, Soc Trang, Dong Nai, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, have not yet assigned 2024 plans with a total unassigned capital plan of VND 2,439 billion.

Recommend to completely resolve site clearance work following the schedule

In addition, a problem that has been continuously mentioned in reports on public investment disbursement is site clearance and project construction.

According to the report of the Ministry of Transport, currently, site clearance progress at some component projects under the North-South Expressway Project in the period 2021-2025; Bien Hoa - Vung Tau project; Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot project is slower than the request of the Government and Prime Minister. The relocation of technical infrastructure, especially high-voltage power lines, still faces many difficulties and delays. The change of use purpose of forests, forest land, and rice land has not yet been completed for the North-South Eastern Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period, the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot project...

Besides that, the simultaneous implementation of many large transportation projects in the same area leads to a scarcity of material sources during the construction process, especially backfill materials, sand, and stone... the Ministry of Finance assessed that the implementation of specific mechanisms for exploiting common construction materials still has many difficulties and obstacles.

From the above problems, according to the Ministry of Finance, some problems that have existed for a long time and have not been overcome are the main reasons affecting the disbursement progress.

Therefore, the Ministry of Finance requested the Ministry of Transport and localities to grasp the capital disbursement situation of each project as a basis for implementing solutions. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport and localities were requested to seriously and drastically implement solutions to promote the disbursement of public investment capital prescribed by the Government in the Resolution on tasks and solutions to implement plans on socio-economic development and state budget estimates for 2024; instructions of the Prime Minister - Director of the Steering Committee at the 10th meeting of the State Steering Committee for key and important works and projects in the Transportation sector.

For compensation, support and resettlement, the Ministry of Finance requested localities to completely resolve land clearance work following the required schedule, focusing on building resettlement areas and stabilizing people's lives. Regarding material sources for construction, localities need to urgently determine sufficient material supplies, and coordinate with investors and construction contractors to complete procedures for conventional construction material quarries according to the specific mechanism of the National Assembly and the Government, meeting sufficient reserves and capacity following construction progress.