Thai Cabinet Eyes ADB Loan for Irrigation System Upgrade

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, will chair the weekly Cabinet meeting in place of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from September 14-16. Several significant agenda items are expected to be discussed. A key item is the Ministry of Transport's proposal to cancel the budget commitment for the construction of a new Ministry of Transport building, including construction supervision costs, for the fiscal years 2025-2027. This effectively puts the new building project on hold. The Ministry of the Interior is set to propose the approval of a budget framework and insurance policy for natural disasters, including floods, storms, and earthquakes, for a one-year period from October 1, 2025, to October 1, 2026. The total budget for this is 15 billion baht. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will seek approval for a project to upgrade irrigation systems in the lower eastern part of the Chao Phraya River basin, with an estimated cost of 95 billion baht. This project plans to utilize a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) alongside government funds. Similarly, the Ministry of Finance will propose borrowing from the ADB for investment expenditures aimed at economic and social development, including a significant project to develop the public health service system under the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Public Health. The Ministry of Energy has agenda items concerning the granting of exploration and production rights for onshore petroleum blocks L1/66, L3/66, and L8/66, as well as the transfer of production sharing contracts for offshore blocks G1/65 and G3/65 in the Gulf of Thailand. The upgrade of Unit 4 at the Bhumibol Dam hydropower plant is another energy investment point to watch. In terms of administrative reform, the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) will propose guidelines for not requiring documents from citizens when they interact with government agencies. The Committee for State Enterprise Policy (CEP) will present proposals on managing state assets under review. For education and research, the National Council for Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy is expected to propose an integrated, results-oriented budget allocation and management system for fiscal year 2025. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation will seek to extend the duration and revise the operational plan for the "New Graduate and High-Potential Workforce Production" project, part of the Thai Higher Education Reform Policy, for the period 2025-2029. The Ministry of Public Health will propose principles, methods, and conditions for determining operational expenses for critically ill patients and Thailand's participation in the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO). Additionally, the Ministry of the Interior will address the payment of contributions to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) fund. Another point of interest is the appointment and transfer of senior officials in several ministries to replace executives retiring on September 30. Many ministries are currently in the process of selecting Level 10 executives, equivalent to ambassadorial rank, or director-general level officials to fill these vacancies. Source: INN News