Thread: Cabinet sets aside over THB18bn of new funding for villages

BANGKOK, 25 October 2016 (NNT) – The Cabinet has approved a budget of over 18 billion baht to be allocated to tens of thousands of villages nationwide in the 2017 fiscal year for local development purposes.

Government Spokesperson Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkumnerd announced that the Cabinet has given the green light to a project to enhance the grassroots economy through the allocation of subsidies for raising the potential of villages in line with the government’s Pracharat policy. The total budget is set at 18.66 billion baht, which is to be disbursed from the 2017 central budget to around 74,655 villages across the country at the rate of 250,000 baht each. The project will commence in November 2016 and end in January 2017.

The Department of Provincial Administration, Ministry of Interior has been given the responsibility of overseeing the village enhancement project and setting up district-level committees to consider proposals for local development projects and their budgets. The district chief, village headmen and local administrators in each area are to be told to work with the committee in a bid to ensure prompt completion of all projects. The department will have to compile a report on the progress and obstacles in each project for submission to the Cabinet every month.

This new village enhancement project is an extension to the 2016 edition, which came to an end on August 29 this year and provided development funds for nearly 75,000 villages.

National News Bureau Of Thailand | Cabinet sets aside over THB18bn of new funding for villages

Reviving the village fund policy makes me think that, after all, they were not that bad ... monitoring is important though

Maybe there is going to be an election in 2017 then.

Any chance Prayuth may co-incidentally resign his commission?

272.727273 or around $9 per head , don't piss it all up guys

It will go to the heads but not in the way you're thinking.

Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay

Reviving the village fund policy makes me think that, after all, they were not that bad ... monitoring is important though

...as is control.
Creating dependency is key.

250k Baht ...for a mobaan development project..fill a few potholes perhaps?

A small example of the efficacy of headmen:
I buy some of my beer at a local mom and pop store..Young couple both university educated and speak pretty good English. The wife told my wife that that she had placed a branch in a large water filled pothole in front of her store. Headman turns up and lambastes her; telling her that she should fill the pothole. Needless to say she told him where to get off…..

I'm not sure what funding shortfalls or other shenanigans may have been going on- all I know is that in the eight years I've lived here in this ban nok, the local tracks have been the worst they have ever been during this rainy season. Fortunately, a grader came thru' about ten days ago- so now it's merely shit.

So bad in fact, that a local Christian missionary family from America were forced to move back to Ubon, because the potholes, ruts and ditches were destroying their Toyota van.

Yup been here 11 years...8 years ago the then incumbent head man told us there would be a black top road past our farm...just waiting for contractor to finish another job in Trang. Recently someone dumped a shitload of of plain dirt on top of a quite serviceable dirt road and and graded it..two days later after heavy rains a frickin deep muddy quagmire..motorbikes have to walk through it...sigh!

Originally Posted by sabang

So bad in fact, that a local Christian missionary family from America were forced to move back to Ubon, because the potholes, ruts and ditches were destroying their Toyota van.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

I have a relative who actually used the village fund, he got a 40K loan to buy a small hand-held tractor ... he managed to pay back the loan in 14 months and aside as taking care of his fields, he rents his plowing services to other farmers ...

Theses village funds are an opportunity for local developpement, as long as it is used and managed properly i.e funding investment (not buying commodities that don't help to earn a living) by people able and willing to pay back their loans ...

Mega projects aren't enough to develop a whole country, small scale/local projects are needed to further instill developpement..

Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay

Mega projects aren't enough to develop a whole country, small scale/local projects are needed to further instill developpement..

Yeah...usually positive steps.
Though, the ideals of community self-sufficiency are dwindling under the continuing weight.