Packed agenda for first cabinet meeting of 2024
The first Cabinet meeting of 2024 started earlier than usual on Tuesday (January 2), with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin opening the session at 8.30am, according to a source.
The session got underway after the Cabinet completed a merit-making ceremony at Santimaitri Building in the Government House compound to mark the New Year.
The source said topics on the table include preparations for the consideration of the budget bill for fiscal 2024 at its first reading. The Parliament will deliberate the proposed budget of 3.48 trillion baht from Wednesday until Friday (January 3-5).
During the deliberations, each minister is required to explain his/her responsibilities and how the budget will be used, as well as answer any questions posed by members of the House of Representatives.
Other topics to be discussed by the cabinet on Tuesday include the amendment of the protocol to establish the Asean-Australia-New Zealand free trade zone, proposed by the Commerce Ministry.
The Energy Ministry, meanwhile, will present the Office of Oil Fuel Fund’s measures to subside the move to cap the retail price of diesel fuel at 30 baht per litre until March.
For its part, the Public Health Ministry will report progress on upgrading the Universal Healthcare Scheme under the government’s 30 Baht Plus scheme. The new scheme aims to increase treatment coverage to cover more diseases at a greater number of medical facilities, as well as allow patients to exercise their right using only their ID card.
The Secretariat of the Senate will present a study on a healthcare system for the ageing society undertaken by the Senate’s ad hoc community on public health.
Lastly, the National Human Rights Commission will propose new regulations for marriage of underage persons and procedures that comply with international human rights practices for migrants in the Kingdom who are unable to return to their home countries.
