Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister PrayutChan-o-cha has underscored that the country’s economic and social developmentplan over the next two years should focus primarily on community-level economicdevelopment, enhancing competitiveness, upgrading human resources andinfrastructure development.

Speaking at an annual meeting of the National Economic andSocial Development Council (NESDC) on September 21, the PM said the country's20-year national strategy plan needs to be amended to focus more onrehabilitating society and economy, which have been wrecked by the COVID-19pandemic.

In 2021-2022, NESDC needs to focus on screening projects thataddress those four issues. The government already set aside 400 billion baht(12.7 billion USD) to sponsor those efforts, in part to rehabilitate thecountry's virus-hit economy, he said.

Local media on September 22 quoted the PM as saying that thegovernment will not secure any additional loans as the fiscal 2021 budget isabout to be implemented.

The committee cut the fiscal 2021 budget down from 3.3 trillionbaht to 3.28 trillion. While 31 billion baht was cut from other areas, thebudget for the Public Health and Interior ministries, the Equitable EducationFund and the Court of Justice was increased by 17.9 billion baht.

Last week, an ad-hoc committee reviewing the draft of the 2021budget appropriation bills chaired by Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphatreviewed the budgets of 721 government agencies in line with the nationaleconomic and social development plan, the government's national reform plan,national security, the government's policy, economic conditions as well as thepandemic crisis.

The committee proposed the government continue to integrate thebudgets of all government agencies to help prevent duplicate transactions andincrease efficiency.

The committee also proposed an increase in the budgets for waterresource management, education, research and innovation, and public health.

According to Thosaporn Sirisamphand, secretary-general of NESDC,the agency is scheduled to approve 92 billion baht of the state's 400-billion bahtspending plan for social and economic rehabilitation within this month. Itplans to allocate an additional 100 billion baht under the same plan in thefourth quarter this year and 200 billion baht in the first and second quartersof next year.

The government also pledges to implement more measures toprevent rising unemployment and to ease the pandemic's impact on low-incomeearners.

Mr Thosaporn said the country's unemployment rate is projectedto stand at 2 percent of the total workforce this year, about 750,000. He saidhigher poverty is projected this year./.