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| A digital citizen service kiosk in HCM City. The Ministry of Science and Technology has urged local authorities to accelerate disbursement of the budget for science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. — VNA/VNS Photo Liên Sơn |
HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Science and Technology has urged local authorities to accelerate disbursement of the budget for science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as the workload remains huge in the remaining months of this year.
This is part of the effort to accelerate the implementation of Politburo Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation.
The ministry’s statistics showed that as of October 26, around 41.18 per cent of the budget for science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation has been disbursed. This amounts to VNĐ21.69 trillion (US$824 million) out of a total of VNĐ52.68 trillion, leaving a substantial sum to be utilised in the final two months of the year.
Hoàng Thị Phương Lựu, director of the ministry’s Department of Planning and Finance, pointed out that seven localities had disbursed at least 50 per cent of their available budgets, including Thái Nguyên, Huế, Tuyên Quang, Cần Thơ, Quảng Trị, Khánh Hòa and Đà Nắng.
Huế recorded the highest rate at 65.21 per cent, followed by Tuyên Quang at 65.17 per cent.
HCM City led in the disbursed amount with VNĐ2.71 trillion, followed by Hà Nội with VNĐ2.04 trillion and Đà Nẵng with VNĐ697.7 billion.
To meet the 2026 spending targets, the ministry called on local authorities to identify the causes of delays to promptly introduce measures while working more closely with businesses and industry associations to accelerate innovation and digital transformation projects.
Budget allocations that cannot be disbursed by the end of the year should be proactively cancelled or returned. This allows competent authorities to redirect the funding to projects capable of absorbing it.
However, the ministry said that disbursement must focus on priority areas and deliver concrete results as well as strengthen accountability.
The ministry stressed that public investment in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation must be translated into stronger development capacity rather than being measured by disbursement figures alone. — VNS
