Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi has called for faster disbursement for national target programmes and public investment plans, stressing that officials and agencies responsible for delays, especially those showing signs of responsibility avoidance or buck-passing, must be held accountable.

Speaking at the Government’s regular press conference for May on June 3, the Deputy Minister acknowledged that implementation and disbursement of national target programmes, as well as public investment projects in general, remain slower than expected despite repeated reviews by the Ministry of Finance, relevant ministries and localities.

While both objective and subjective factors are behind the delays, shortcomings in leadership, implementation capacity, and accountability have continued to hamper progress, he said.

In response, the Ministry of Finance has advised the Prime Minister to issue Directive No. 22/CT-TTg, aimed at speeding up the implementation and disbursement of capital for national target programmes, he said.

Chi emphasised that to achieve the highest possible disbursement rate and strive for full implementation of the 2026 capital plan, ministries, sectors, and localities must carry out synchronised solutions.

Agencies must urgently review and complete the legal framework, mechanisms, and guiding documents for implementing the programmes, he said, noting that regulations must be clear, consistent, and interpreted in a unified manner to avoid different understandings across agencies, which have contributed to delays.

He also underlined the importance of strengthening the responsibility of heads of agencies in organising implementation, noting that linking the implementation results of the national target programmes and the pace of fund disbursement to the assessment of officials’ performance and task fulfilment, as directed by the Prime Minister, is a highly effective measure and must be enforced rigorously.

Any agency, organisation, or leader found responsible for delays in disbursement must be held accountable, with responsibilities clearly determined and disciplinary measures taken in accordance with the Party and State regulations, he stated.

Another key solution is to enhance decentralisation and delegation of authority, coupled with stronger inspection and supervision, the official said, stressing that local authorities need to take proactive responsibility for issues within their competence while promptly identifying and resolving emerging difficulties during implementation.

According to Chi, the limited capacity of grassroots-level officials remains a key bottleneck that needs to be addressed promptly. He asked for attention to improving their professional expertise in public investment management, procurement, finance, budgeting, and project settlement and auditing procedures.

He also requested relevant ministries, sectors and localities to fully grasp the objectives of Directive 22/CT-TTg, avoiding situations where allocated funds fail to be translated into actual tasks.

In addition, he stressed the need for transparency in reporting implementation results across ministries and localities, which will support monitoring and accountability. Public disclosure of progress is considered an important tool to reinforce responsibility and improve disbursement performance./.