Comrade Tran Quy Kien - Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment
The audit results of the State Audit have helped the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment review and improve institutions, policies and laws, ensuring state management in areas within the scope of its management. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is getting better and better, contributing to preventing acts of abusing power and breaking the law leading to corruption, waste, and negativity.
In recent times, in addition to auditing the management and use of public finance and public assets, the State Audit has conducted specialized audits of state management functions and tasks. of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, including: State management of mineral resources for the period 2017-2021 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industry Group, Xi Jinping Industry Corporation Vietnamese bamboo shoots and 28 provinces; Auditing scrap import management activities in the period 2016-2018 at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Ministry of Finance; management and use of capital from the Target Program to respond to climate change and green growth for the period 2016-2020; Managing water resources in the Mekong River basin associated with the implementation of sustainable development goals; Implement the project to restructure the system of credit institutions associated with bad debt handling for the period 2016-2020 issued under Decision No. 1058/QD-TTg dated July 19, 2017 of the Prime Minister on Project approval at the State Bank of Vietnam, Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam. With the assessment, through audit work, shortcomings and inadequacies will be pointed out and recommendations will be made to improve the effectiveness of state management of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Therefore, immediately after receiving the Audit Conclusion Notices from the State Audit, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment directed its affiliated units to seriously rectify, learn from experience, and overcome shortcomings. , limit and fully implement the conclusions and recommendations of the State Audit pointed out in the management of natural resources and environment for the state management function of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Basis for perfecting institutions and policies on mineral activities
Regarding the mineral sector, the State Audit has made many effective recommendations, consistent with practice, as a basis for perfecting institutions and policies on mineral activities. Specifically as follows:
Firstly, the State Audit recommends reviewing and studying proposals to amend and supplement Decree No. 158/2016/ND-CP dated November 29, 2016 providing guidance on the composition and form of documents in the application for a mineral exploitation license in areas with construction projects specified in Clause 1, Article 65 of the Law on Minerals; Supplement and amend Decree No. 158/2016/ND-CP and Decree No. 67/2019/ND-CP to unify the time for determining and paying fees for granting mineral exploitation rights. The proposal has been studied by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, accepting and proposing the contents stipulated in Clause 11, Article 1 of the draft Decree amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Decrees in the field of minerals being submitted to the Government for consideration and promulgation in Submission No. 83/TTr-BTNMT dated October 20, 2023.
Second, the State Audit recommends the issuance of additional regulations on methods and ways to calculate the increased sedimentation of sand and gravel reserves in the mine area every year; there are no regulations or methods to determine the radius of influence that can lead to riverbank erosion in Circular No. 01/2016/TT-BTNMT dated January 13, 2016 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The recommendation has been accepted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as stipulated in Article 1 of the draft amended Circular. Currently, the draft Circular is being posted on the electronic information portal of the Government and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to collect opinions from organizations and individuals before promulgation.
Deputy State Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh and Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan chaired the Conference to announce the Audit Decision on the topic of state management of mineral resources in the 2017-2020 period of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and provinces: Yen Bai, Thua Thien - Hue, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan, Ha Giang, Phu Tho, Thai Binh, Binh Dinh, Binh Phuoc, Cao Bang in 2022.
Recommendations to institutionalize and supplement regulations suitable for environmental reality
In the environmental field, through thematic audits and operational audits at localities, the State Audit has made recommendations to institutionalize and supplement regulations in accordance with the actual operating situation.
First, the State Audit recommends amending and supplementing Decree No. 155/2016/ND-CP, which adds specific sanctions for violations in the field of plastic bag production; promulgate regulations banning the production of non-degradable plastic bags with a film thickness of less than 30 micrometers according to the Government's Project issued under Decision No. 582/QD-TTg dated April 11, 2013. The proposal has been accepted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and included in regulations in Article 28 of Decree No. 45/2022/ND-CP dated July 7, 2022 regulating penalties for administrative violations in the field of environmental protection. (replacing Decree No. 155/2016/NDCP dated November 18, 2016 of the Government regulating penalties for administrative violations in the field of environmental protection).
Second, regarding the proposal to supplement regulations on the recycling recovery rate and mandatory conditions for implementing a recycling recovery plan for enterprises producing environmentally friendly plastic bags, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has accepted and supplemented the provisions in Article 64 of Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP dated January 10, 2022 of the Government detailing a number of articles of the Law on Environmental Protection on the roadmap to restrict the production and import of single-use plastic products, biodegradable plastic packaging and products and goods containing microplastics.
Third, the State Audit proposes and recommends additional environmental audit regulations for organizations and production, business and service establishments to improve waste management efficiency and economical use. resources, prevent and reduce pollution and protect the environment of these objects. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has received and submitted to the Government and the National Assembly additional regulations on environmental auditing in Article 74 and Article 160 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 to strengthen the environmental management capacity of businesses. businesses, helping businesses identify gaps in environmental management and have solutions to adjust environmental management activities more effectively. In addition, Article 160 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 also supplemented regulations The State Audit conducts audits in the field of environment in accordance with the provisions of the Law on State Audit and relevant laws.
Complete planning on water resources
Regarding the field of water resources, the recommendations of the State Audit have been seriously implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment according to its functions and tasks in water resources management. Specifically:
Perform assigned functions and tasks in formulating and submitting to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval of general resource plans of the whole country, water resource plans of inter-provincial river basins, inter-provincial water sources; master plans for basic investigation of water resources, recommendations have been accepted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to implement the formulation of plans to submit to the Prime Minister. Up to now, the general plan of the whole country, the master plan for basic investigation and 8/13 inter-provincial river plans, 05 inter-provincial river basin plans have been approved, the remaining plans will be completed in 2024.
Regarding proposals to build and operate a water resources monitoring and observation network system according to the provisions of the 2012 Water Resources Law, Decree No. 201/2013/ND-CP dated November 27, 2013, Circular 47 /2017/TT- BTNMT November 7, 2017 has not ensured the quality and progress of data connection, has not reviewed and strictly handled cases of failure to connect, especially facilities with a limited time limit. installed before December 31, 2019, implementing the recommendation of the State Audit, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has implemented the project "Building a system to monitor and manage developments in surface water and water sources". underground and activities of exploiting, using water, and discharging waste into water sources to serve monitoring compliance with water resources licenses and directing and operating". Up to now, the system has basically completed its functions, meeting the requirements for managing water resources licenses for both central and local use; integrated with the monitoring system for exploitation, use and discharge of wastewater into central water sources. The system has also basically completed its functions, meeting the goal of automatically monitoring prescribed water resource exploitation and use parameters.
Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of land management and use
In the land sector, implementing the recommendations of the State Audit, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has institutionalized them in the provisions of the Land Law and Decrees guiding the Law to continue to innovate and improve institutions and policies, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of land management and use. Specifically as follows:
Regarding the proposal to study, propose and amend the provisions of the Land Law to remove difficulties and obstacles in accepting mortgages of land use rights of organizations other than credit institutions, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has accepted and supplemented the provisions that economic organizations to which the State allocates land with land use fees, leases land with one-time land rent for the entire lease term are entitled to mortgage land use rights and assets owned by them at credit institutions permitted to operate in Vietnam, other economic organizations or individuals according to the provisions of law in Article 35; economic organizations to which the State leases land with annual land rent are entitled to mortgage assets owned by them attached to the land and lease rights in land lease contracts at credit institutions permitted to operate in Vietnam in Article 36. Currently, the Land Law has been passed by the National Assembly at the 5th Extraordinary Session of the 15th National Assembly.
In summary, the audit results of the State Audit have helped the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment review and improve institutions, policies and laws, ensuring that state management in the fields under the management of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is increasingly better, contributing to preventing acts of abuse of power and law evasion leading to corruption, waste and negativity. In addition, the recommendations of the State Audit have contributed to creating favorable conditions for organizations and individuals to participate in natural resources and environmental activities, promoting the effective use of environmental resources and sustainable development, creating a premise for the development and transparency of the national financial system.