LED light bulb production line at Kim Đỉnh Company in HCM City. District-level authorities in HCM City must promote scientific and technological activities in order to modernise production, a seminar heard in HCM City last week. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

HCM CITY – District-level authorities in HCM City must promote scientific and technological activities in order to modernise production, a seminar heard in HCM City last week.

Nguyễn Việt Dũng director of the city Department of Science and Technology, said under a city plan for 2016 –20, each district has to draft at least three models for applying technology to improve the quality of the operations and services provided by State agencies, with priority given to the use of IT to achieve administrative reforms.

Each district has to have at least three organisations, enterprises or economic agencies supporting the use of technology to improve administration\.

All craft villages must adopt technologies for production, and 50 per cent of high schools must have creative activities.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Hoài, head of the Science and Education Division at the city Party Committee’s Propaganda-Instruction Department, said the public had recognised the benefit of application of technology in several cases: the use of IT to achieve administrative reform in District1; use of technology in health care services in Thủ Đức District and animal husbandry and agriculture in Củ Chi, Hóc Môn and Cần Giờ; and establishment of brand names “Phú Hoà Đông Rice Paper” in Củ Chi, “Củ Chi Cow Milk”, Safe vegetable Coop in Hóc Môn, Phước An Coop in Bình Chánh, Châu Tống Ornamental Fish in District 12.

Trần Văn Lan, deputy chief of the Củ Chi Propaganda-Instruction Division, said technology helped restructure the district economy and enabled it to grow at 18.96 per cent.

Its agriculture changed to focus on high-value livestock and plants like milch cows, ornamental fish, safe vegetables, and orchids, he said.

Co-operatives in Củ Chi have registered “Phú Hoà Đông Rice Paper” as a traditional craft product, developing a brand for it in the local and international markets thanks to technology application.

Meanwhile, District 1 is a model in using technology for administrative reform.

Between 2010 and 2015 it accomplished tasks like using electronic devices, perform a public poll on the work done by local cadres and officials, and informing officials about meetings using SMSs.

The poll gathered over 95,000 comments about the work done by cadres and officials, 98 per cent of which were positive.

Nguyễn Thanh Đoàn, head of the District 4 Propaganda-Instruction Division, said the district’s scientific and technological efforts were focused on waste treatment and medical waste management in residential areas.

These projects helped improve the environment, he said.

But the application of scientific and technological achievements still faced many challenges including shortage of funds at the district level, Hoài said. —VNS