National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân attended a conference gathering permanent members of the people’s councils of 21 southeastern and Cửu Long (Mekong Delta) provinces and cities in Tân An City. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

LONG AN — National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân attended a conference gathering permanent members of the people’s councils of 21 southeastern and Cửu Long (Mekong Delta) provinces and cities in Tân An City, the Mekong Delta province of Long An, on Saturday.

People’s councils have the functions of supervising the compliance with the Constitution and laws and making decisions about important issues of their locality.

At the event – the sixth of its kind for southeastern localities and the eighth for Mekong Delta ones in the 2016-21 tenure, participants shared experience in improving the quality and efficiency of provincial people’s councils’ activities, including preparing for, organising and chairing People’s Council sessions, and supervising the settlement of public opinions and the implementation of industrial infrastructure and resettlement projects.

In her speech, Ngân spoke highly of the combination of the two regions’ conferences.

She said the People’s Councils of southern provinces and cities have fulfilled their duties, thus greatly helping with local socio-economic development, social security, and defence-security.

She highlighted their reformed sessions and improved quality of supervision and many other activities, noting the councils have applied some of the NA’s experiences to their activities and that they have also paid attention to external activities, experience sharing and training of their members.

The top legislator also emphasised heavy responsibilities of all-level administrations, including People’s Councils, in the future, such as preventing disease outbreaks, promoting production and business activities and socio-economic development, caring for people’s lives, along with preparing for all-level Party congresses towards the 13th National Party Congress and the election of deputies to the 15th-tenure NA and all-level People’s Councils for 2021-26.

Given this, she asked for continued reform and improvement of activities of People’s Councils so as to further affirm them as the bodies of the State at local levels and the representatives of the people’s will and aspirations.

People’s councils need to show their determination to achieve their localities’ development targets for 2020, thereby contributing to national socio-economic development, according to her.

The seventh conference of permanent members of people’s councils in southeastern localities will be held in Bình Dương Province, while the ninth conference of permanent members of People’s Councils in Mekong Delta localities will be organised in An Giang. — VNS