VietNamNet Bridge – Eight provincial chairs have been criticized by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung for making wrong reports of losses caused by natural calamity in 2009, and wrongly using the state budget for victims of natural calamity.
The Ministry of Finance and related agencies have reported to the Prime Minister --the results of inspection over the distribution, use of state budget to deal with consequences of natural calamity and epidemics in 2009 in eight provinces, including Binh Dinh, Nghe An, Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Thanh Hoa in central Vietnam and Ha Giang, Lai Chau in northern Vietnam.

The government urgently pumped capital from the state budget to these locations to deal with destruction caused by and assist victims of natural calamity and epidemics. However, some provinces did not use the effectively or used it wrongly.

Some provinces made inaccurate reports on losses caused by natural calamity and epidemics, and provided assistance to people who did not meet conditions to receive assistance.

The government’s funding did not satisfy the need of natural calamity-hit provinces but Quang Nam and Phu Yen provinces did not spend all funding.

Some provinces like Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Nghe An, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh asked the government’s immediate assistance but they spent assistance slowly and wrongly.

By the end of June 2010, the above provinces disbursed only 55 percent of the funding for victims of natural calamity in 2009.

On February 29, PM Nguyen Tan Dung criticized the chairmen of these provinces and asked the Ministry of Finance to revoke the funding that was spent wrongly by these provinces.

He assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to combine with relevant agencies to compile standards on assessing losses caused by natural calamity, and make clear the responsibility of provincial chairs and chief of provincial steering board for flood and storm control.

Tu Van