Hanoi (VNA) – ಌKeeping the coronavirus at bay and sustaining economic achievements are now of the first importance to the government and the political system, from central to local levels, due to the complexity of the latest COVID-19 outbreak, Minister-Chairman of Government Office Tran Van Son told the monthly Government press conference on May 5.

The most important tasks are radically curbing the spread of COVID-19, protecting people’s safety and well-being, striving to sustaining economic gains and boosting economic recovery, he said. He also reported on Vietnam’s economy in April and the first four months of 2021 which saw positive signs. April CPI inched up 0.89 percent, the lowest level since 2016. Four-month State budget revenue made up 40.5 percent of the yearly plan and was 7.9 percent higher than the same period last year. Four-month foreign trade grew by 29.5 percent year-on-year, with trade surplus reaching 1.29 billion USD. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) spurred 24.1 percent in April and 10 percent from January – April. The country has so far disbursed 18 percent of public investment, relatively higher than a year earlier, Son noted. He urged relevant authorities to swiftly come up with measures to remove barriers in terms of legal institutions, mechanisms and policies so as to release resources for development; and at the same time, accelerate the progress of disbursement of public investment, particularly ODA, and speed up major projects. More attention should be paid to helping farmers distribute their products, he said, adding that ministries and local administrations must also maintain a close watch on the development of prices of fuel and material products and make timely reports to the government in order to keep the inflation under control./.