Bangkok: "Phumtham" held a meeting of the Decentralization Committee for Local Administrative Organizations to accelerate the decentralization of power to local areas and the people. Mr. Phumtham Wechayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Acting Prime Minister, chaired the second meeting of the 2025 Decentralization to Local Administrative Organizations Committee (D.O.A.C.) with Mr. Decha Isara Khaothong, Deputy Minister of Interior, heads of government agencies at the Permanent Secretary or equivalent level, and relevant agencies in attendance.
According to Thai News Agency, the Deputy Prime Minister opened the meeting by stating that today was the second meeting of the Decentralization to Local Government Organizations Committee in 2025. The Prime Minister had issued Prime Minister's Office Order No. 208/2025 dated July 4, 2025, regarding the assignment and delegation of authority to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office to act as Chairman of the Committee, and that he had been assigned to act as Chairman of the Committee on Decentralization to Local Government Organizations.
Mr. Phumtham stated that the government has prioritized decentralizing power to local administrative organizations to facilitate operational flexibility, achieve government missions, and implement government policies that are consistent with local development and improve the quality of life for the people. However, monitoring of implementation revealed practical obstacles, as some principles do not align with reality. While this may appear problematic in principle, in practice, limitations are encountered, such as the readiness of agencies and the unclear allocation of roles and responsibilities for problem-solving. This issue requires collaborative improvement to achieve greater clarity.
From today's meeting agenda, several issues can be addressed immediately. However, some issues require comprehensive consideration to foster shared understanding. I believe that adhering to the established principles, coupled with consideration of practical reality, will ensure the best possible outcome.
"I would like to thank all board members for attending today's meeting. This meeting included important considerations and required all board members to provide feedback and suggestions that will be beneficial to the decentralization of power to local administrative organizations. I hope all board members will fully participate in expressing their opinions to reach the best conclusions for moving forward," said Mr. Phumtham.
The meeting considered and approved the following key issues: 1. Approved the determination of local administrative organization revenue proportions for fiscal year 2027; 2. Approved the criteria for allocating general subsidies to local administrative organizations for fiscal year 2026; 3. Approved the criteria and guidelines for allocating subsidy budgets to local administrative organizations for fiscal year 2027; 4. Approved the review of the guidelines, criteria, methods, and procedures for managing and resolving issues related to the transfer of road and bridge construction and maintenance tasks to local administrative organizations transferred from government agencies; 5. Approved the guidelines for improving the structure of health centers (first transfer); and 6. Approved the proposal to revoke National Council for Peace and Order Order No. 8/2017 on Driving Local Personnel Administration Reform, dated February 21, 2017, to enable local administrative organizations to recruit educational personnel mor e efficiently and effectively.