Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chairs the Government meeting on Tuesday. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Tuesday ordered relevant sectors to continue to focus on stabilising the macro economy and controlling inflation to ensure rapid recovery and sustainable development.

He made the order while chairing the monthly Government meeting which reviewed the country’s socio-economic situation in August and the first eight months of the year. The meeting also looked into the implementation of the socio-economic recovery and development programme and the national target programmes as well as scrutinised socio-economic development and public investment plans for 2022 and 2023.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Consumer Price Index (CPI) in August grew by 3.6 per cent compared to the same period last year. Important facilities were put into operation including Thái Bình 2 Thermal Power Plant, Vân Đồn – Móng Cái Expressway, Hạ Long – Móng Cái Expressway, and Thủ Thiêm 2 Bridge.

More than VNĐ505 trillion (US$21.9 million) of public investment has been disbursed from the national budget as of August 28, covering 93.2 per cent of tasks assigned by the PM.

About VNĐ55.5 trillion has been allocated to socio-economic recovery programmes.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Chí Dũng said many prestigious international organisations and experts highly appreciated Việt Nam’s economic development outcomes and prospects. The World Bank forecasted 7.5 per cent GDP growth in 2022 and 6.7 per cent in 2023. The Asian Development Bank and International Monetary Fund keep growth forecasts for Việt Nam at 6.5 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively, in 2022.

Tourism saw positive growth with the total number of domestic tourists in the first eight months of 2022 equal to the figure of the whole year of 2019.

PM Chính pointed out positive socio-economic outcomes including quick industrial, trade and service recovery, as well as stability of agricultural, forestry and fishery production.

Việt Nam’s major economic balances were maintained in the first eight months of this year despite a slew of difficulties, he said.

The Cabinet leader highlighted the country’s achievements in improving people’s living standards and strengthening external affairs, among others.

He noted that there were several risks to macro-economic stability, inflation control and major balances. The implementation of three national target programmes, public investment disbursement and foreign direct investment attraction remain sluggish and fall short of expectation.

Citing that the workload of Governmental agencies remained heavy in September, he ordered ministries and sectors to focus on a number of tasks including ensuring social welfare and healthcare, especially preventive healthcare and COVID-19 vaccination.

Ministries must accelerate socio-economic recovery and development, public investment disbursement and implementation of three national target programmes while removing cumbersome procedures and transferring capital from slow and inefficient projects to projects that ensure progress, Chính said. — VNS