Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Reforms of the administrative system must bedone with “professionalism and resolution” to effectively eliminate"vested interest" and corrupt elements, according to Minister,Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung.

He made the remark while addressing an online training workshop onadministrative reform and single-window held on December 20 that saw theparticipation of nearly 7,000 officials from 24 ministries, Government agenciesand 63 provinces and cities.

The Government plans to prioritise e-Government building next year in concertwith administrative reforms, in a bid to tackle the country’s cumbersomebureaucracy, seen as a factor that stifles growth and innovation.

Chairman Dung, who chaired the workshop, said that to make sure e-Governmentbuilding efforts are done in concert with administrative reforms, tasks relatedto promoting single-window mechanism and administrative reforms have been movedfrom the justice and home affairs ministries to the Government Office, and atthe local level, from provincial/municipal justice and home affairs departmentsto people’s committees.

According to Dung, since the beginning of the year, nearly 6,780 out of about9,930 specialised inspections on imported or exported goods and close to 3,350out of 6,200 business conditions – considered unnecessary red tape, causingwaste and risk of bribery – were axed.

The elimination of these procedures has helped save nearly 6.3 trillion VND (271.9million USD) and free up 17.5 million workdays.

So far, 57 out of 63 localities have finished relaying administrative reformtasks to the people’s committees and 39 localities have public administrativecentres at a good level, Chairman Dung said.

He also noted that provincial governments and State agencies have started tomake use of information technology to process and store documents, but each usetheir own software, making it difficult to share information or connect thedatabases.

This issue will receive attention next year, as construction of the nationalpublic administration centre will begin, with standardised, uniform technologyand software used across all State agencies and local governments.

“Transparent, friendly, and easy-to-use” are the three criteria that Stateagencies and local governments must strive towards in their delivery of publicservices, Chairman Dung ordered.

He said the performance of public service officials and administrative reformefforts would be measured by the “satisfaction of the people.”

Cautioning that the reforming and streamlining administrative procedures wouldmean run-ins with entrenched vested interest, the head of the Government Officestressed that the selection of personnel to undertake this task must becarefully done.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc earlier ordered faster deployment of e-paymentin public administrative services, as cash payments carry more risk forcorruption.

On the occasion, Ngo Hai Phan, head of the Administrative Procedure ControlAgency, also announced the Government Office’s certificates of merits forexemplary provincial public administration centres in Bac Ninh, Yen Bai, ThaiBinh, Quang Ninh, Dong Nai and Quang Nam. — VNS/VNA