HCM People’s Council looks into urgent matters

HCM City (VNA) – The 10th-tenure People’s Council of Ho Chi Minh City convened its third meeting on October 18 to discuss the city’s important and urgent matters.

In her opening remarks, Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le stressed the significance of the meeting that takes place at a time when the southern city enters the new normal.

The council would review the city’s efforts in COVID-19 prevention and control and adopt major decisions and policies to support agriculture and businesses affected by the pandemic.

It would also seek measures to attract more investment and set out the city’s socio-economic development plan for 2022, Le said.

During the meeting, the delegates would look into the city’s socio-economic development in the first nine months of this year, and key tasks for the remaining months of 2021.

They are expected to pass a plan on mid-term public investment sourced from the local budget for 2021-2025 and the HCM City - Moc Bai expressway project, among others.

The council would also elect additional members of the municipal People’s Committee on this occasion.

According to a report presented at the meeting, the pandemic has forced HCM City to impose social distancing and countermeasures over the past nearly five months, which has seriously affected production and daily activities in the city.

The city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) decreased some 4.98 percent in the nine-month period, and is forecast to drop 5.06 percent this year, the report said.

The total retail sales of goods in the country’s biggest economic hub stood at around 636 trillion VND (27.8 billion USD), down 17.4 percent year-on-year. The industrial production index also contracted 12.9 percent, and only 11 trillion VND worth of public investment was disbursed, meeting 32 percent of the set target.

However, the city still made progress in a number of socio-economic sectors like State budget collection (up 7.96 percent) to 271.64 trillion VND and production value in the city’s high-tech industrial park (up 12.5 percent).

The municipal People’s Committee said about 11 out of 29 criteria set for the year would be fulfilled.

In the closing months of the year, HCM City will continue to revamp methods to complete the socio-economic targets, adopt specific strategies and programmes, and review nearly 50 projects and programmes.

The city has issued 11 detailed plans on COVID-19 containment and economic recovery in the new period, consolidated and strengthened the local medical system, especially at the grassroots level, and taken firm steps in reopening.

It has also rolled out policies to support enterprises and household businesses affected by the pandemic.

The meeting is scheduled to conclude on October 19./.