The government should set up a subcommittee to follow up and monitor investment and social projects owned and developed by state agencies and state-owned enterprises to ensure their transparency and that they conform with the 20-year national strategy plan (2018-37), says Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
Visiting the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) on Thursday, Mr Somkid said the agency should expand its remit to follow up on developments once each ministry proposes its projects to ensure good governance and compliance with long-term strategy.
The state planning unit is tasked with vetting the proposed investment projects of state agencies and state-owned enterprises and making suggestions to the cabinet.
Mr Somkid also assigned the NESDC to organise a joint meeting with the Federation of Thai Industries and the Thai Chamber of Commerce to discuss upgrading business efficiency.
According to the latest report by the International Institute for Management Development, which rated 63 economies for their economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure, Thailand improved to 25th from 30th last year.
Thailand's ranking improved from 10th to eighth in economic performance, 22nd to 20th for government efficiency, and 48th to 45th for infrastructure.
Business efficiency fell from 25th to 27th.
"The NESDC should play a more active role in instructing private firms how to improve their efficiency and adopt digital transformation," he said.
Thosaporn Sirisamphand, secretary-general of the NESDC, said although this government will no longer be in power, the investment budget for fiscal 2019-23 is estimated at 500-600 billion baht a year as stipulated in the master plans of the 20-year national strategy.
The National Legislative Assembly approved the National Strategy Act in July 2018 to make it legally binding for future governments.
The 20-year national strategy aims to raise GDP growth in the agricultural sector to 3.8% in 2022 and 3% a year thereafter until 2037.
In 2018, the farm sector's GDP grew by 5%.
The national strategy comes with 23 master plans to be put into action.
There are 15 urgent flagship projects that are scheduled to be implemented from 2019-23.
The 15 projects are divided into several different groups: social and economic restructuring in an effort to increase competitiveness; upgrading workers' skills; projects that can create a balance between social and economic growth; infrastructure projects that can drive economic growth in the long term; and projects that can generate income to create sustainable growth.
Mr Thosaporn said the Institute of Public Policy and Development under the NESDC is being established to conduct research on future trends.
The government has already budgeted 100 million baht for fiscal 2019 to fund the new institute.
The cabinet last September approved 1 billion baht during 2019-23 for the institute to conduct research for the period.
