Hanoi authorities are calling on their agencies to come up with innovative solutions to boost electronic processing rates by the fourth quarter of 2024. 

Improving and making public the index of online public services available to businesses and citizens is the goal of this initiative, described in document 2562, recently signed by Ha Minh Hai, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee.

Locals at Kim Giang Ward People's Committee, Thanh Xuan District. Photo: Chien Cong

As of July 2024, the index of online public services showed that the city achieved a score of 58.86 out of 100, ranking 58th out of 63 provinces and cities, an increase of 1.61 points from June and 8.1 points from May. These figures were recorded at 10 a.m. on August 2.

In this latest directive, the Hanoi People's Committee urges relevant agencies to immediately investigate and address the root causes of all backlogged documents. 

The Municipal Department of Justice has the worst record, with over 24,100 pending cases out of nearly 54,000 citywide.

Agencies that fail to meet processing rates will be held accountable by the Municipal People's Committee, which will affect their ranking in the Public Administration Reform Index, the directive stressed.

The City requires immediate apologies and corrective action, and warns of severe penalties for any agency or unit that engages in harassment or inefficient practices that result in unnecessary administrative burdens, unwarranted requests, or frequent delays in processing.

In order to turn around the low-performance rates, the Municipal People's Committee has called on directors and department heads, as well as district and town leaders, to ensure that administrative procedures are announced and published in a timely manner, thereby maintaining the city's transparency index.

In addition, the Office of the Municipal People's Committee will conduct an urgent review of the current transparency index, which currently has the lowest score. They will report the findings, propose solutions for enhancement, and work with the Administrative Procedure Control Department and the Government Office to address any challenges in synchronizing data between the city's administrative procedure information system and the national public service portal.

Speaking at a recent event to review the city's administrative reform and digital transformation, Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, said that the city will enhance online public services and promote the use of the national population database alongside specialized databases to improve convenience for citizens and businesses. 

He added that the city will speed up the development of a comprehensive database system to improve data connectivity with government ministries. Protecting personal data and strengthening information security will be top priorities.

By 2025, Hanoi aims to be a smart, modern city that fosters rapid and sustainable economic growth while leading the nation in administrative reform.