A total of 72,000 rai of state land, previously used by the military, is ready to be handed over for distribution to poor landless farmers to mark the occasion of His Majesty the King's 72nd birthday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced.
Speaking in his weekly broadcast on Saturday, Mr Srettha said many farmers across the country are affected by a shortage of farmland.
The government asked the military, including the air force, army and navy, to allocate unused lands to landless farmers so that they could rent them at a low rate.
The government and armed forces plan to kick off the farmland distribution project in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom as part of celebrations for the King's birthday, which falls on July 28, he said.
Meanwhile, the government has also distributed 72,000 sets of prosthetics and mobility aids to disabled people and bedridden patients nationwide.
He said trucks to distribute these devices under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security's responsibility were released last week.
Blood donation drive
The PM also urged healthy citizens to take part in a blood donation campaign, which aims to collect 10 million cubic centimetres (cc) of blood by the end of this year.
The donated blood will be added to the Thai Red Cross Society's blood bank to be distributed to any state-run hospitals in need, he said.
Of more than 600 good-deed projects being conducted by various parties as part of nationwide celebrations for the HM's birthday, Mr Srettha said the issues of forests, water, and people are the government's main focus because they are the body and soul of the nation.
"His Majesty the King has been working very hard. He has travelled extensively to supervise and check on the progress of those royal projects in person," said Mr Srettha.
The prime minister added the government is trying to encourage state enterprises and the private sector to participate in supporting and carrying on with the King's initiatives. Following the King's lead, the government has been focusing on water management, forest encroachment prevention, and public health improvement projects.
The prime minister emphasised the importance of water management, which plays a big role in the country's economy. Locating and transmitting underground water was one of the government's first endeavours to honour the King, he said.
The PM went on to talk about the 72 million trees project to revive forests, saying seedlings were distributed to every province in the country to help with tree replacement, preserve the soil, and bolster the abundance of the ecosystem.
The government is also looking to launch 72 pocket parks in Bangkok to create more green spaces for people living in the densely populated capital, he said.
