Bangkok: The National Legislative Assembly has issued a document clarifying that the budget allocation for local administrative organizations is appropriate. The Department of Local Administration (DLA) has released a statement denying claims that Provincial Administrative Organizations (PAOs) and tambon administrative organizations received a budget of up to 700 million baht. It highlighted that the Budget Bureau faced time constraints in creating a new system, leading to incomplete and inconsistent data recording.
According to Thai News Agency, on July 17, the DLA addressed concerns regarding budget allocations under the 157 billion baht economic driving plan. The Cabinet had approved this plan on May 20, assigning budget units to develop projects and budget requests. The Ministry of Finance proposed the plan framework for Cabinet consideration, while the Budget Bureau established guidelines for project proposals requiring approval from the Minister in charge.
The Ministry of Interior was tasked with coordinating project proposals from provinces to stimulate economic investment. These proposals, once approved by the Minister of Interior, were to be uploaded into the New e-Budgeting system. The Office of the Budget Bureau received proposals from 5,316 local administrative organizations, totaling 27,494 projects, with a combined budget request of over 161 billion baht, surpassing the 157 billion baht framework.
The Office of the Interior reviewed these proposals based on criteria set by the Budget Bureau. Ultimately, it screened and approved projects valued at approximately 34.7 billion baht. Surin Province topped the list with the highest number of approved projects, while Phuket Province had the least. The average budget distribution nationwide was around 456 million baht.
In response to claims of unequal budget distribution, the SAO clarified that project approvals adhered to the Budget Bureau's criteria. Investigations revealed no SAO or PAO received a budget of 700 million baht. Some smaller administrative organizations received significant funding due to their tourism potential. The approval process also considered readiness to record project forms and operational locations.
The Office of the Budget highlighted issues with the New e-Budgeting system, which had limited time for data entry, leading to incomplete records. This system, being new, caused inconsistencies in data submission by local administrative organizations. Despite these challenges, the Office of the Budget asserted that budget allocations were made appropriately, following the established guidelines and criteria.