The governmental 2024 review, according to opposition parties, leaves some urgent issues unresolved.
PUBLISHED: January 5, 2024, at 11:00
With 311 votes in favor, 177 against, and 4 nays, the House of Representatives approved the first reading of the draft resources for the 2024 fiscal year on Friday night.
The budget calls for 3.48 trillion ringgit to be spent, with a gap of 693 billion, which is an increase from the previous administration’s approval of 593 bht prior to the call for the May 14 poll.
The funds for the 2024 fiscal year began on October 1, 2023, but due to the lengthy delay in electing the state after the elections, it was unable to get passed.
A 72-member House committee does then review the draft budget in more detail. After that, it will be returned for second and third observations.
According to Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, it is anticipated to go into effect somewhere in early May.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin stated on Friday that” the budget allocations will provide the greatest benefit for the public.”
The Interior Ministry, which is seeking 353 billion ringgit in funds, Education, 328 billion, Finance, 327 billion in funding, Defense, and Transport, respectively, are the top five consumers in terms of budget planning. Depending on the decisions made by the House committee in the upcoming week, those numbers could change.
Mr. Srettha stated earlier this week that the budget was essential to boosting the nation’s economy and that growth for this year was anticipated to be between 2.7 % and 3.7 %.
The Pheu Thai-led coalition has a pleasant majority in the 500-seat House, so the budget’s passage on second reading was assured.
The Move Forward Party-led opposition voted against the invoice, claiming that it was ambiguous and neglected to solve a number of urgent problems.
The document put forth by Pheu Thai, according to Move Forward head Chaithawat Tulathon, was not all that dissimilar from what the previous administration, led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, had suggested.
The opposition parties, he claimed, concurred that the proposed budget allocations demonstrated the state was not attempting to address the nation’s major issues, such as economic slowdown and environmental and educational concerns.
According to him, “budget allocations are out of proportion to the seriousness and scope of the issues.” ” Some crucial allocations are disallowed, while others are permitted,” according to the statement.
According to Pukkamon Nunarnan, a Move Forward list-MP, the bill does not address important issues like inequality in education, public health, or capital growth.
According to Ms. Pukkamon, the bill seemed to be encouraging yet more centralization rather than the decentralization required to distribute options more evenly across the nation.
The state with the highest populace and best economic growth will probably receive the largest portion of the budget under this present bill, she said.
” Designed regions will prosper more and impoverished provincial areas will suffer more if that planning stays the same.” How then can hunger be ended?