Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called for the simplification ofadministrative procedures in the field of natural resources andenvironment, especially relating to land, to make them more convenientfor both people and management agencies.

ThePM’s request came in his meeting with the Ministry of Natural Resourcesand Environment (MoNRE) and relevant ministries on May 26 to seeksolutions to cut administrative procedures in the field, which willimprove the business environment and raise national competitiveness.

Transparent and explicit administrative procedureswill reduce corruption and help build a workforce of professional,skilled and virtuous civil servants, the PM declared.

He urged 22 provinces to swiftly publish the administrativeprocedures required relating to land, and 49 localities to open landregistration offices.

The PM also asked theMoNRE to re-examine the exploitation of sand in rivers and carefullyexamine the possible impacts on the environment, while also reviewingwhether the granting of licences to seaside projects may potentiallydamage the nation’s landscapes.

MoNRE’s MinisterNguyen Minh Quang, said the reform of administrative procedures in thefield of natural resources and environment has achieved positiveprogress with many mechanisms, policies and regulations simplified. Thishas made it more transparent and convenient for organisations andindividuals, he claimed.

According to Quang,the time for completing most procedures has been reduced. For instance,the procedures for granting certificates have been cut by 5 to 25 days,while in some provinces the procedures for the registration of land-userights have reduced up to 50 percent.

Manyministries and sectors, however, said that a number of regulations andadministrative procedures within the realm of the MoNRE need to berevised and improved to make them more suitable.-VNA