National Assembly leader hails State Audit Office’s performance in 2019

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (sixth, right) and other officials pose for a photo at the conference of the State Audit Office of Vietnam on January 8 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan commended the State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV) for its performance in 2019 at a conference held by the SAV in Hanoi on January 8.

Addressing the conference, the National Assembly Chairwoman also underlined key tasks in 2020 for the SAV.

She urged the office to carry out its plan for the execution of law on amending and supplementing some articles of the Law on state audit, and complete the State audit development strategy for 2020-2030.

The top legislator also requested the sector to intensify the application of information technology in its activities to help develop the digital economy and respond to rapid changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In addition to stepping up supervision of civil service activities, the State Audit Office needs to promote its role as the Chair of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) for the 2018-2021 tenure, the top legislator ordered.

It was reported at the conference that the SAV had handled over 72.8 trillion VND (3.1 billion USD) as of the last day of last year.

More than 10.2 trillion VND were collected to the State budget, while the State budget expenditure was reduced by over 16.8 trillion VND.

The office also proposed revising, supplementing, canceling or replacing 154 documents with shortcomings to avoid losses and wastefulness.

The SAV also asked for the opinions from the National Assembly Standing Committee and Government on the implementation of the State budget in 2019 and State budget estimates in 2020, as well as the allocation of central budget this year.

The work of the SAV had been tabled for scrutinisation at the 40th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the last of its kind this year, in Hanoi on December 17, 2019.

At the sitting, the National Assembly Standing Committee discussed the building of a development strategy for the State Audit between 2020 and 2030, with a vision to 2035, besides reviewing the outcomes of the recent eighth session of the parliament, give initial opinions on the preparation for the ninth session next year.

It looked into the outcomes of diplomatic and international cooperation programmes in 2019, and considered external activities of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the National Assembly’s Ethnic Affairs Council and committees, friendship parliamentary groups, agencies of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the State Audit Office, and the National Assembly Office.

In recent years, the State Audit Office (SAV) has conducted many audits related to the environment, such as the five million hectares of new afforestation project, the national target programme on clean water and environmental sanitation, and an audit of water issues in the Mekong River.

Besides, it also conducted audits on urban planning, mineral resources management, exploitation and use, and factories’ and industrial parks’ wastewater discharge projects.

Thereby, the State Audit Office (SAV) has gradually evaluated environmental management and effectiveness.

The quick urbanisation and higher living standards increased the nation’s socio-economic development, but also produced a great amount of waste.

Statistics from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment showed that the country discharged 15.6 million tonnes solid waste annually.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s two biggest cities, discharge about 80 tonnes of plastic and nylon waste per day.

The country’s plastics and nylon waste occupies about 8-12 percent of daily solid waste./.