Pattaya-area villages may get up to 500,000 baht to become semi-independent under a National Village and Urban Community Fund program.
Fund Director Thonnachai Bunmak met with representatives from 36 Pattaya communities and bureaucrats from the city Social Welfare Department Oct. 18 to outline the program’s rules and answer questions.
The NVUC plans in November to begin awarding funds to villages nationwide aimed at establishing mechanisms allowing communities to have roles in directly fighting poverty, developing an economic foundation to generate revenue for the village and offer career training.
National Village and Urban Community Fun Director Thonnachai Bunmak.
Under the program, villages are categorized as small, medium or large, with small villages of 500 people or less receiving 100,000 to 300,000 baht per project; medium-sized villages of 501-1,000 residents getting 400,000 baht and larger villages getting 500,000 baht per project. Each village can apply for funding of more than one project.
The project has been in the works for more than a year and a similar meeting in Pattaya a year ago created controversy when no NVUC representative attended. This year, Thonnachai said, residents should now understand the rules and hopes to start approving projects and disbursing funds in November.
To date, three small, eight medium and 25 large projects have been applied for in Pattaya.
