BANGKOK, May 27 — The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Energy are about to propose their economic stimulation policies to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
Rungson Sriworasat, permanent secretary for finance, said investment budget disbursements for 2014 were 9 per cent behind schedule and the Budget Bureau would next week order concerned authorities to speed up investment in 20 important projects worth over 1 billion baht each to stimulate the national economy in the second half of this year.
If government budgets were to be disbursed at their normal rate, the national economy next year would grow faster than this year’s, Mr Rungson said.
The permanent secretary for finance admitted that the losses in the rice-pledging scheme this year would be higher than figures in past years but it should not reach Bt500 billion.
He said that figures about the scheme would be concluded soon.
Suthep Liumsirijarern, permanent secretary for energy, said the Ministry of Energy would propose 30 plans to ACM Prajin Jantong, deputy chief of the NCPO, who supervises economic affairs, and urgent plans including the necessity for energy businesses to operate around the clock.
The campaigns to minimise energy consumption to cope with suspended gas supply from the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area where gas production will be closed for maintenance from June 13 to July 10, the approval of a new power development plan, the 21st round of petroleum concessions, and the restructuring of liquefied petroleum gas prices were also proposed to ACM Prajin.
