Government keen to grow electricity industry

CA - The Government will speed up programmes to generate electricity from renewable energies and soon adopt a clear and favourable mechanism for the electricity industry to grow as it is crucial for national development.

The question of how to spur the development of the electricity industry caught the special interest of cabinet members at their regular monthly meeting in Hanoi on August 30-31 under the chair of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The government’s plan for the issue is to encourage all economic sectors to join hands with the State in investing and boosting the growth of this important industry.

The PM asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to focus investments on raising power output to prevent shortages in the future.

Discussing the socio-economic development plan for 2011, which is the first year in the next five-year development plan, and the 2011-2020 development strategy, PM Dung said the general goal of 2011 is to strengthen macro-economic stability to achieve a growth rate higher than that of 2010 and step up the economic restructuring.

The other goals are to ensure social security and social welfare to further improve people’s living conditions while assuring political security, social order and safety, he said.

The PM proposed the Government target a GDP growth rate of 7.5 percent, CPI year-on-year rise of 7 percent, and trade deficit below 18 percent for 2011.

He underscored the need to pay special attention to vocational training and considered it an important index to serve the country’s economic shift in 2011.

PM Dung also requested formulation of mechanisms and policies to support national target programmes, and listed the rural development programme as Government target for the 2011-2015 period.

At the meeting, cabinet members heard about good performance of the national economy in the last eight months with industrial production growing 15.2 percent year-on-year.

CPI rose slightly - 0.23 percent in August against July - the Ministry of Planning and Investment reported.

Also at this meeting, cabinet members heard reports on inspections, the settlement of petitions and denunciations, the fight against corruption, and administrative reform.

They debated a draft decree guiding the implementation of several articles of the Enterprise Law, the draft ordnance on management, and use of weapons, explosive materials and supportive tools, and a bill amending the Cooperatives Law.