He made the statement at a working session with the provincial People’s Committee on March 15.
Speaking highly of the socio-economic achievements that the province carved out in 2023, Son said that Gia Lai should carry out the Politburo’s resolution on orientations for socio-economic development and ensuring defence and security in the Central Highlands until 2030 with a vision to 2045.
He also urged the province to study and propose special mechanisms and policies for the region, and implement the national target programmes in a timely fashion.
Son went on to order ministries, sectors and central agencies to continue keep a close watch on and work to handle bottlenecks for the province.
Specific instructions should be given so that the province could effectively realise the national target programmes, sustainably develop renewable energy, processing industry and hi-tech agriculture, as well as promote border trade and tourism, he said. Relevant sides should support the study of several special mechanisms to develop the Central Highlands.
According to a report from local authorities, Gia Lai completed 14 out of 21 set socio-economic development criteria in 2023, including the gross regional domestic product (GRDP) per capita increasing 3.02%, rational shifting of the economic structure, and increases in cultivation areas, total retail sales of goods and services, total social investment, import-export revenue, the number of newly-established firms, and the number of projects receiving in-principle approval.
However, several criteria lagged behind the set targets such as economic growth, investment attraction, site clearance, disbursement of public capital, among others.
This year, the province strives to gain a GRDP growth rate of 8.6%, a disbursement rate of public capital for infrastructure construction at more than 95% and poverty rate falling 2% to 6.11%. The province wants to have an additional seven new-style rural areas, and 93.75% of the population covered with health insurance.
It recommended the Government support to handle difficulties in such areas as adjusting the land use target by 2025, developing economic-technical norms for the use of state budget in the health sector, and remove roadblocks for the implementation of the national target programmes and construction of the Pleiku-Quy Nhon Expressway.