Phan Văn Mãi (first, left), chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, speaks at an online conference between the Government and provinces on Wednesday. – Photo tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY – HCM City has set itself four main tasks for 2022: COVID-19 prevention, revival of the economy, improving governance, and infrastructure development.

Speaking in an online conference between the Government and provinces held on Wednesday to review the 2021 performances and goals for 2022, Phan Văn Mãi, chairman of the city People’s Committee, said HCM City targeted 6 – 6.5 per cent growth in 2022.

The first of the four goals was “launching the Government’s comprehensive strategy on COVID-19 prevention and control, focusing on monitoring and dealing with the new Omicron variant,” he said.

HCM City would focus on vaccination, caring for COVID patients at home and improving its pandemic prevention capabilities.

It would like the Government to allow it to produce anti-viral drugs for public use.

The second mission was to “launch economic recovery programmes and help businesses recover.”

The economic recovery and development programmes would be divided into two phases: the first in 2022 to revive broken supply chains and help closed businesses rejoin the market, and the second in 2023 – 25.

Referring to a package of fiscal and monetary policies to support the country’s socio-economic recovery the Government tabled in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Mãi called for quick guidance for executing the policies at the earliest once they are approved.

Thirdly, the city aimed to “improve its urban governance and investment and business climate, and get rid of chokepoints that are hindering its ability to use funds effectively.”

It had asked the Government to further decentralise local administration, especially with respect to planning and licensing urban areas and industrial parks.

The final mission was to “launch traffic infrastructure development projects such as the metro line No 1 and 2 and the Ring Road No 3.”

Ring Road No 3 will connect several places in the southern key economic zone, including HCM City and Đồng Nai, Bình Dương and Long An provinces.

Mãi asked the Government to quickly assign the project’s responsibility to a local authority and help select the right investment method so that work on it could begin soon.

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khái said the Government has identified some key tasks in 2022 for the country to achieve a GDP growth rate of 6 – 6.5 per cent.

They include reviving production and business activities, pushing for more exports, improving the public spending disbursement rate, and encouraging private-public partnerships for infrastructure development. – VNS