Cabinet gives nod to mass reform scheme

The cabinet has approved plans to implement nearly 900 projects essential for moving the country's reforms forward, government spokesman, Anucha Burapachaisri, said on Tuesday.

Some 881 so-called "Big Rock" projects will be put into practice that will see significant changes to improve people's lives, he said.

The projects, given the green light by the cabinet this week, will cost an estimated 66.5 billion baht mostly tapped from this and next year's fiscal budgets and the central fund.

The cabinet has also assigned the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council and related agencies to work in sync so that the Big Rock projects materialise.

The plans to follow through with the projects involve launching activities that will help deliver concrete results in the country's reform initiative.

Mr Anucha said the plans include details of the projects, the purpose they serve and how long they will last.

They also specify the amount to be spent on each individual project.

The projects are categorised in order of priority.

First are those rated as most urgent and which form the bedrock of the reform programmes, the projects labelled as urgent come next as well as those deemed necessary for disbursement of the budget to pay for the projects as required by law.

The government spokesman said project examples include the creation of value-added farm products, the expansion of irrigated farmland, the training of smart farmers able to adopt technology in farming practices and the development of a bio-economy.

Also to be promoted among the Big Rock projects are programmes to create technology-assisted big farming methods and cultivating organic produce.

The national reform plans were published in the Royal Gazette on April 6, 2018, exactly one year after the current constitution was promulgated.

The plans cover 11 key areas: politics, public administration, laws, judicial procedures, the economy, natural resources and environment, public health, mass media and IT, social issues, energy and anti-corruption.