THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Cabinet okays Bt200,000 ‘Thai Niyom’ funds for every village

Cabinet okays Bt200,000 ‘Thai Niyom’ funds for every village

THE CABINET has approved a “Sustainable Thai Niyom” project that will send Bt200,000 to every village across the country before the end of July.

The funds will be spent based on proposals from villages, each of which can present up to two proposals for grassroots economic development, improvements to quality of life and the application of King Rama IX’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy. 
“The development of the grassroots economy here means the approved proposals should carry out initiatives that will generate income for local people,” Nattaporn Jatusripital, an adviser to the PM’s Office minister, said yesterday.
He added that Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had emphasised that funds from the project must not go to infrastructure construction, because it was the duty of government agencies to provide infrastructure. 
“The prime minister hopes that the money will be used to solve local problems or generate more income for people for their better quality of life,” Nattaporn said. 
The three-month project, which was presented by the Interior Ministry, was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday. It is scheduled for implementation between April and July, with 82,371 villages standing to benefit. 
The project is a part of the Sustainable Thai Niyom, also known as Thai Niyom Yang Yuen, or “Sustainable Thainess”, scheme that received a budget of Bt150 billion last month. 
Prayut unveiled the scheme on February 10 amid criticism that it was another populist programme designed to win support for the current government. 
Nattaporn said villages would not be able to seek money from the project for use in village funds, establishment of a revolving fund or cash disbursements to individuals. 
“Proposals related to loans, seminars and supply procurements are also not qualified to receive funds from the project,” he said. “Funds from the project cannot be used to buy vehicles, electrical appliances or communication devices either.”
According to Nattaporn, proposals approved under the project must spend at least 30 per cent of the budget received on employment, with only Thai workers eligible for employment. 
Last week, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Grisada Boonrach said his ministry had received Bt24 billion from the Sustainable Thai Niyom scheme. 
“This budget will be used to implement 20 projects, most of which under the care of the Royal Irrigation Department,” Grisada said. 
While Grisada said much of the budget would be used to build flood-control dams, several planned projects focused on creating added value for agricultural products and infrastructure development. 

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