About 16 billion baht will be pumped into villages across the country this month as part of the government's Thai Niyom Yangyuen (Sustained Thai-ness) programme to address local people's grievances.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, however, stressed that the financial assistance for the local projects under the scheme is not aimed at solidifying political popularity for the current administration in preparation for the next general election.
Pol Lt Arthit Boonyasophat, director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration, said the cabinet in January approved the framework of the programme which covers 10 areas.
One of these areas, which concerns projects aimed at developing people's quality of life and driving the grassroots economy, will see 16.47 billion baht distributed to 82,371 villages or communities to help address their problems, according to Pol Lt Arthit. Each village or community will receive 200,000 baht in financial assistance to spur the local economy and improve the standard of living for locals.
Under the scheme, village or community committees are responsible for selecting problems based on feedback given by residents at meetings, said Pol Lt Arthit.
Up to two projects can be selected by each village or community. These projects can be related to economic and social development, natural resources, the environment or other public interests.
According to Pol Lt Arthit, 87,852 projects were suggested at the scheme's local meetings. They are being deliberated by provincial committees which consist of members of the private and public sectors as well as higher education institutions.
After the projects are approved, district offices will draft their proposals, which will be forwarded to the provincial governors and regional budget offices for approval.
The department chief said that money is expected to be wired into the bank accounts of the villages or communities under the programme by the end of this month.
Community panels will be responsible for proceeding with the projects themselves, ranging from procurement and disbursement of budget to inspection of the finished work.
All the projects are expected to be wrapped up by Sept 10, Pol Lt Arthit said.
The department director-general urged those who execute the projects to strictly adhere to rules of the scheme and ensure they are graft-free and uphold transparency.
Gen Prayut insisted the financial assistance provided under the scheme has no political agenda.
He was speaking before farmers who were receiving annual awards for their outstanding achievements this year from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. They were invited to meet the prime minister at Government House yesterday.
Although several economic indicators are improving, the government does not only look at numbers but also attempts to tackle basic problems people are facing, the premier said.
He said he wanted farmers to take their time to study domestic and international markets rather than focusing only on growing rice. If the farmers grow a lot of the same variety of rice at the same time, it will push down the price, he noted.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Gen Prayut said, needs to get its priorities straight before supporting large-scale rice production as the crop might flood the market.
"This does not mean we would forbid farmers from growing rice. But they need to grow the quality varieties which can fetch good prices," the prime minister added.
