Govt pushes 2020 development plan

The government is holding a special meeting to establish common ground among state agencies about ways to ensure effective implementation of the national development plan for 2020.
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith presided over the opening of the two-day open government meeting at the National Convention Centre, which is scheduled to end today.

Cabinet members, the mayor of Vientiane, provincial governors, representatives of the Party and National Assembly (NA), the courts, prosecution organisations, and the Lao Front for National Development attended the meeting.
The joint meeting of government members and state agency representatives took place after Prime Minister Thongloun told the NA last month that the government would improve coordination between the various state agencies to ensure they worked towards approved goals.
According to a media release from the Prime Minister’s Office, key issues discussed at the meeting included implementation of the recent National Assembly resolutions. These identify the key development and policy targets that the government and state agencies must achieve in 2020.
One of the government’s main targets is to narrow the budget deficit to 3.7 percent of GDP while trying to maintain a high level of economic growth at 6.5 percent in 2020.
During the recent NA session, the prime minister said that mega investment projects would help to maintain strong GDP growth.
The meeting also discussed and endorsed a prime ministerial decree on the implementation of the National Socio-Economic Development Plan and State Budget Plan for 2020, which will come into effect on January 1.
In addition, the meeting endorsed the draft of a prime ministerial decree on the improvement of the so-called “one-stop service” to facilitate domestic and foreign investment.
Other topics discussed included the promotion of production for commercial purposes, food security, domestic goods consumption, and the administration and regulation of imports.
The meeting also heard a report on the implementation of the natural disaster response plan and measures, and discussed preparations by the government and state agencies to prevent and address future disasters.    
Reports on land concession project investigation and the development of micro, small and medium sized enterprises were also heard and discussed.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update December 20, 2019)