MoF proposes merging four national programmes to streamline resources

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is proposing to consolidate four national programmes into a single program in order to streamline resource management and enhance decentralisation for local authorities. This proposal aligns with the Politburo's policy and the prime minister's directive outlined in Notice No.368/TB-VPCP on July 11. The MoF has submitted the proposal to the Government Party Committee and the Government Standing Committee for inclusion in a National Assembly resolution.

The four programmes encompass various areas such as rural development, poverty reduction, education, cultural development, and healthcare. The consolidation plan will maintain the objectives and total resources for implementing these programmes, while providing the government with the authority to detail the structure and implementation mechanisms. The plan will involve reviewing and reorganising the programmes' contents based on the issues addressed and their alignment with policy objectives.

A notable aspect of the consolidation plan is the restructuring of the state budget, with a target ratio of 75% for public investment capital and 25% for recurrent expenditure. Responsibilities for managing the state budget will be streamlined, with ministries assigned specific sectors and fields to formulate objectives, tasks, and criteria for assessing implementation results.

As of August 4, after receiving comments from government members and the Ministry of Justice, as well as proposals from ministries and central-level agencies, the MoF submitted Proposal No.591/TTr-BTC to the government for the completion of the dossier for National Assembly submission. The NTP on drug prevention and control and the integrated NTP covering rural development, poverty reduction, and socioeconomic development have completed their mechanism, policy, and implementation guidance documents.

The NTP on cultural development and the NTP on healthcare, population, and education are in the process of finalising these documents.

The Prime Minister has allocated the first tranche of central budget capital for the integrated NTP and the drug prevention and control NTP for the 2026-2030 medium-term public investment plan. The National Assembly has approved $1.4 billion for these programmes in the 2026 budget estimate. However, disbursement of central budget funds for the NTPs remains low, with only about $3.76 million (0.5% of the plan) disbursed as of July 31. Recurrent expenditure disbursement stands at around $1.1 million (2.8% of the estimate).