HÀ NỘI – Sectoral and provincial planning schemes must concretise and conform to national and regional master plans, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính stressed while chairing a meeting of the Government Party Committee's Standing Board on Tuesday to discuss the draft Law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the Planning Law.

According to a report by the Ministry of Finance, in addition to the Planning Law, there are currently 60 other laws and ordinances related to planning activities. The whole country has 108 out of 110 master plans approved. However, a number of challenges have emerged during the enforcement and review of the Planning Law.

At the meeting, participants agreed that amending the law is necessary to ensure it aligns with the current structure of the political system following a recent administrative restructuring, particularly the ongoing implementation of two-tier local administration model.

In his concluding remarks, PM Chính stressed that the amendments and supplements must address existing legal bottlenecks in both urban and rural planning.

He said the revised law must clearly define that the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, and the Government are responsible for formulating and approving national and regional master plans, which provide strategic orientations. Sectors and localities would then be delegated to implement their respective planning schemes providing that these must concritise, conform to and not go counter to the national and regional master plans.

To ensure that decentralisation in planning enhances the effectiveness of national and regional planning while also maximising the resources of provinces, cities, and sectors, the PM requested that the draft law should include clear criteria, standards, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms to support a shift toward post-implementation inspection rather than pre-approval one.

Also on July 1, the Government Party Committee's Standing Board met to assess the one-year implementation of the 2024 Land Law, and offered feedback on proposed amendments and supplements to the Land Law and the Law on Geology and Minerals. VNS