HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Public Security is working on a national database that will store and supply “basic” and accurate information about citizens via their personal ID numbers.

It says the work aims to reduce inconvenience caused to citizens dealing with administrative procedures, prevent waste of time and other resources, and simplify admin procedures.

According to statistics compiled by the Justice Ministry, of 5,400 administrative procedures in different ministries and agencies, nearly 1,600 require residents to show their personal papers.

With a population of more than 90 million, the demand to certify citizens’ papers can reach about 600,000 turns per day, the justice ministry estimates.

The Ministry of Public Security assesses that the work imposes a financial burden of thousands of billions of đồng (VNĐ1 billion equals US$44,400) per year for individuals and enterprises completing administrative procedures.  

At present, the country does not have a system to manage citizens’ information. Several provinces and cities like s Hải Phòng, Bắc Ninh, Hà Nội, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and HCM City have set up their own systems, but these have not been completed at the national level.

Lieutenant General Trần Văn Vệ, standing director of the General Department of Police, said that after the national database is complete and ready for public use, citizens will be able to complete all admin procedures with just their ID card, instead of having to produce number of personal papers.

The Ministry of Public Security will try to complete the task in the next three years, he said.

Pilot programme

To have the experience and background to perform the task at a national level, the ministry has run a pilot project in the northern port city of Hải Phòng over the last three years.

The local database thus set up has helped city police resolve permanent resident registration issues for more than 70,000 people and temporary resident registration issues for thousands of others.

It has also shortened time taken to complete procedures, since residents don’t have to present their personal information several times, and imparted clarity to documents, Vệ said.

Colonel Nguyễn Trọng Phượng, deputy director of the municipal police department, said that the city attracted a great number of workers from different places, so resident management was complicated.

The new database was an excellent change in administrative reform, he said. The information was accurate and updated regularly. — VNS