The government is returning to a secure and sustainable economy through the adoption of green economic policies which benefit grassroots communities, according Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Gen Prayut was referring to a business model called BCG which stands for Bio, Circular, and Green economies
The prime minister was speaking at a forum in Nonthaburi on BCG economies and observed the signing of a cooperation pact to put the new business model into practice. The pact brought together 18 state agencies and organisations.
Gen Prayut said the forum marked a new beginning of a cooperation by all stakeholders with roles in the economic revitalisation of the country.
He said everyone should come together to debate and set the direction of the country's economy in the future while working proactively to restore prosperity.
The work will be spearheaded by the BCG model which stresses the forging of economic security in grassroots communities. The means to realising such a goal rests with implementing new farming methods which use environmentally-friendly technology to add value to the products.
Gen Prayut explained the methods also involved coming up with new products from leftover material.
He said the heart of the matter lies with utilising limited resources for maximum benefits. One example is the effective management of water in relation to amounts of rainfall and water stored in various sources, as well as demands for hydro power.
He added the farming of energy crops will be promoted.
The government was prepared to take steps to familiarise people with "new normal" practices in working and conducting their lives. At the same time, it was supporting business operators to produce goods and deliver services which are of high value.
Gen Prayut said he believed the BCG model would lead to sustainable economic development and pull the country out of the middle-income trap.
Social inequality and unfair income distribution must be tackled. Specifically, unequal access to resources and medicine and environmental and communicable disease problems will need to be dealt with to respond effectively to the new way of life for people in the post-Covid 19 era, the premier said.
Gen Prayut said moving the economy forward in the aftermath of the pandemic can present the country with an opportunity.
"The key here is to reinforce economic strength from within and enable the grassroots economy to connect with the rest of the world," he said.
The country can harness its strengths and global connections to increase its security in food, healthcare and energy which generate employment and can turn the economy around.
The new economic direction required efforts across all sections of society under the government's "Ruam Thai Sang Chart (Uniting Thais, Building the Nation)" initiative.
Gen Prayut, however, said he was concerned that many people had failed to catch up with new technology and were unable to access government services via digital platforms. The urgency was to beat the odds and engage people in the new technological age, he said.
The premier said he would follow up and scrutinise development projects for any budget-spending irregularities.