The Budget Bureau has set a five-year budget framework for national reform through fiscal 2023 of more than 700 billion baht, with the biggest slice going to economic reform and water management.
Dechapiwat Na Songkhla, director-general of the Budget Bureau, said 591 billion baht of the budget will be used to finance decentralisation of provincial development and water management.
The government is focused on developing provincial areas, a strategy considered a win-win for all parties, including large companies, small businesses and labourers who work in their hometowns, Mr Dechapiwat said.
When investment is channelled to provincial areas, there will be less need for provincial residents to move to Bangkok, he said. Water management is another key concern, including prevention of floods and drought.
The national reform plan covers 11 areas and aligns with Thailand's 20-year strategy plan, which is divided into education, public health, social reform and elderly care.
After its publication in the Royal Gazette earlier this month, the national reform plan is legally binding and state agencies must carry it out.
According to the budget breakdown, 33.4 billion baht will be allocated to public administration, mass media and IT; 2.59 billion to laws; 221 million to politics; 1.99 billion to justice procedures; 591 billion to the economy; 28.5 billion to natural resources and the environment; 13.5 billion to public health; 16.2 billion to social issues; 11.4 billion to energy; and 9.29 billion towards anti-corruption.
The reform must be done comprehensively in the overall system, Mr Dechapiwat said.
For example, labour development must work within the Eastern Economic Corridor scheme to avoid workforce shortages.
"We once planned to be the Detroit of Asia, but we have a labour shortage, so investors eventually fled Thailand," Mr Dechapiwat said. "We aim to be an Asian hub, and we need to prepare ourselves in terms of public health, social reform, well-being and labour."
He expressed hope that the national reform would address long-standing problems and improve the ease of doing business.