Effective administration of natural resources and environment

Mr. Nguyen Van Truong, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Thai Binh province, said: The department has constantly focused on improving its management, exploitation and use of natural resources, and environmental protection.

On the final Sunday of the month, residents from many localities in Thai Binh province participate in an environmental cleanup 

Every year, the department actively reviews and advises on the timely promulgation of mechanisms, policies and legal documents on natural resources and environment; and regularly organizes conferences to deploy and disseminate policies and laws on this field. In the first six months of 2024, the department advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue four legal documents; maintained operations and promptly posted activities and policy documents on its website; and coordinated with news agencies and newspapers to propagate, disseminate and educate laws on this sector.

In land management, the department has completed and submitted to the Provincial People's Committee for approval the land-use plans for 2024 for Vu Thu district, Thai Binh City, Tien Hai district, Quynh Phu district and Kien Xuong district. The agency consulted the committee to report to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to propose adjusting land use targets until 2025; coordinated with related agencies and local authorities; consulted units to review the 5-year Thai Binh land use plan (2021 - 2025); adjusted and supplemented the scale, location and projects in land-use plans until 2030 of Thai Thuy and Kien Xuong districts.

The department appraised and submitted to the Provincial People's Committee 102 dossiers of land allocation, land lease, land repurposing and land recovery. To date, the Provincial People's Committee has signed 94 dossiers of land allocation, land lease, land repurposing, land recovery, land-use adjustment and extension, extended land-use progress, and acceptance of land-use rights transfer for 145.81 ha. The agency also granted 596 certificates for 158.72ha of land.

The department advised the Provincial People's Committee to direct district/city people's committees to review and speed up the progress of land recovery, land compensation and resettlement support to reduce emerging problems when the Land Law 2024 comes into effect. It gave opinions on the main framework of land compensation, support and resettlement for such projects as Ninh Binh - Hai Phong Expressway, and sustainable aquaculture development project at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development funded by the World Bank. It asked the committee to issue a draft decision on other factors generating development revenue and development costs when using the surplus method to determine specific land prices in the province.

In land surveying, mapping and remote sensing, the department appraised 120 cadastral map extracts and cadastral measurements for land recovery, land allocation, land lease and land repurposing; and appraised 17 budget estimates for adjusting State-funded cadastral map extracts.

Moreover, the department counseled the Provincial People's Committee to issue 16 documents on environmental protection direction and operation. The department promulgated 771 documents on environmental protection; organized 23 councils for appraising environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports and sent 20 dossiers to the Provincial People's Committee for approval; appraised 26 applications for environmental licenses; submitted 30 applications for environmental licenses and two applications for revised licenses to the Provincial People's Committee for ratification; and notified industrial wastewater fees for 94 units. The department participated in the Council for Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Licenses of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; and provided guidance on implementing environmental criteria in advanced new rural construction.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment also continued to pay attention to mineral management and saw positive changes in water resource management.

For a better investment environment

In addition to advising the Provincial People's Committee on effective management of natural resources and environment, the department has stepped up administrative reform and digital transformation and provided favorable conditions for people and businesses. The natural resources and environment sector has contributed significantly to important socioeconomic development and investment attraction achievements in Thai Binh in recent years.

Accordingly, the department regularly reviews, adjusts, supplements, reduces, simplifies and abolishes inappropriate administrative procedures. The agency updates legal documents, lists and processes for handling administrative procedures on its website for people, businesses and civil servants to follow and implement.

In the first six months of 2024, the Provincial Public Administration Service Center received 889 dossiers (including 659 dossiers filed online and 230 dossiers submitted in person). Among them, 798 records were completely solved; 91 were being resolved; and five records were overdue. 175 reviews were recorded on the Thai Binh Provincial Administrative Procedures Information System, with a very high satisfaction rate of 97.71%, a satisfaction rate of 1.71%, and a dissatisfaction rate of 0.57%.

Besides, the natural resources and environment sector has promoted information technology application and digital transformation; integrated partial and full online land administrative procedures on the Provincial Administrative Procedures Information System to reduce the time and visit cost for people. It has constructed databases of water resources, mineral features, environment, land allocation, land lease, and natural resources and environment document warehouse.

As one of the 10 important component indicators of the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), the Land Access Index, coordinated by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in 2022 and 2023, continuously climbed in rank and value. In 2023, it scored 7.19 points and ranked 10th out of 63 provinces and cities, jumping 24 places and adding 0.25 points from 2022. Additionally, in the Provincial Green Index (PGI), Thai Binh ranked 20th out of 63 provinces and cities, with a fourth of the indicators gaining points and ranking, namely CSTP1: Minimizing environmental pollution and negative impacts of climate change (for businesses). A fourth of the indicators got more points and slid in ranking, namely CSTP4: Business support policies and services in environmental protection.

To improve the Land Access Index and help improve the investment environment, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has further disseminated land laws and policies in various and appropriate forms. It has paid attention to directing, speeding up and ensuring planning quality and land-use plans as a legal basis for land allocation, land lease, and land use repurposing for investment projects.

It has publicly announced information on land use planning and annual land use plans on its website to ease access to land information for businesses, investors and land users.

In the coming time, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment will continue to review legal documents under its authority relating to land to remove any remaining shortcomings; complete preparing and approving land use plans with a long-term vision to allocate, exploit and effectively use natural resources.

At the same time, the department will accelerate administrative reform, digital transformation and innovation; strengthen administration; and ensure harmony between economic development and environmental protection towards sustainable development. Doing so, the department will unleash land resources for economic development.