HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc signed a decision to form a working group to boost the formation of a special committee responsible for managing State capital at enterprises.

Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ is the head of the working group.

The group will comprise four deputy heads - Nguyễn Hoàng Anh, former Secretary of Cao Bằng Province Party Committee; Minister-Chairman of Government Office Mai Tiến Dũng, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Chí Dũng and Minister of Finance Đinh Tiến Dũng.

The working group will act as a consultant to the Prime Minister in setting up the special committee.

According to a project being developed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the committee will help the Government to efficiently manage and supervise State capital and assets at enterprises as well as implement restructuring and State capital divestments and boost the efficiency of State-owned enterprises (SOEs).

SOEs in the country have capital and assets worth an estimated VNĐ5.4 quadrillion (US$236.9 billion) in total.

As planned, 30 SOEs will be put under the management of the special committee, including nine economic groups and 21 corporations that are currently under the management of seven ministries.

One such noteworthy corporation in the list is the State Capital Investment Corporation, which was founded with functions similar to that of the special committee. The other SOEs include Việt Nam National Textile and Garment Group, National Oil and Gas Group, Electricity of Việt Nam, Việt Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group, Việt Nam National Coal and Mineral Industries Corporation, Bảo Việt Group and Việt Nam Aviation Corporation.

At a meeting towards the end of 2017, the Prime Minister said the Government would announce the formation of the special committee in the first quarter of this year.

The committee will follow a management model that separates ownership from management of State capital. This is expected to boost efficiency.— VNS