Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and cabinet members reviewed theimplementation of Governmental working regulations in 2011 and discussedthis year’s working programme at their regular December meeting inHanoi on Jan. 4.

PM Dung and cabinet members recognised the good points in theGovernment’s performance last year, including the strict implementationof the Party’s policy and resolution and the timely issue of policiesand solutions suitable for the country’s socio-economic development.

Thestrong and synchronous implementation of a wide range of measures hasbrought about positive results in inflation control and macro-economicstabilisation.

The rising trend of the consumer price index hadslowed down since the second quarter, keeping the yearly CPI growth rateat 18.13 percent, lending interest rates also showed signs of falling,exports recorded a year-on-year increase of 33.3 percent and tradedeficit represented 9.9 percent of exports revenues compared with the NAset target of 18 percent. Budget overspendings were reduced to 4.9percent of the country’s GDP compared with the set rate of 5.3 percent.

PMDung, however, pointed out a number of shortcomings and weaknesses inState management, law building, planning and natural resourcesmanagement. He emphasised one of the Government’s key tasks thisyear which is to create favourable conditions and environment forsocio-economic development focussing on infrastructure, institutions andhuman resource. Ministries, branches and localities should focustheir efforts on removing barriers in State management to attractfinancial resources for development investment and developing planningstrategies for the steel, cement and automobile industries, he said. Thisyear, the Government will continue to prioritise inflation control,macro-economic stabilisation, maintaining a suitable economic growthwhile renovating growth models and restructuring the economy in thedirection of improving efficiency and competitiveness, at the same timeensuring social welfare and improving people’s life. Regarding ascheme to increase the efficiency of the State-owned enterprise sector,PM Dung said restructuring State-owned enterprises will help themperform their key role in promoting socio-economic development,stabilising macro-economy, ensuring major balances of the economy andother national issues. He also requested relevant ministries and sectors to review the legal framework for the operation of State economic groups./.