The cabinet meeting on Tuesday 26, April 2011 has come to the following decisions:
The Cabinet has acknowledged and approved in principle the following proposals by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban, Chairman of the National Palm Oil Committee:
1. Amendment to item 1.1(6) of the National Palm Oil Committee’s Resolution of 30 March B.E. 2554 (2011) from “The State shall compensate the discrepancy between the manufacturing costs and retail price cooking palm oil in the form of 1-liter bottles (currently sold at 47 Baht/liter) at the rate of 1.79 Baht per liter. The measure shall be effective from 10 April B.E. 2554 (2011) to 30 June B.E. 2554 (2011). This subsidy scheme shall be available to refineries for a combined volume of 40,000 tonnes of crude palm oil while palm oil crushing mills are obligated to purchase fresh palm nuts from palm farmers at a volume that corresponds to the crude palm oil volume available in the market in accordance to the terms stipulated in item 1.1(4)” to The State shall compensate the discrepancy between the manufacturing costs and retail price of cooking palm oil in the form of 1-liter bottles, plastic bags and buckets (currently sold at 47 Baht/liter) at the rate of 1.79 Baht per liter. The measure shall be effective from 10 April B.E. 2554 (2011) to 30 June B.E. 2554 (2011). This subsidy scheme shall be available to refineries for a combined volume of 40,000 tonnes of crude palm oil while palm oil crushing mills are obligated to purchase fresh palm nuts from palm farmers at a volume that corresponds to the crude palm oil volume available in the market in accordance to the terms stipulated in item 1.1(4)”.
2. Approval for the Internal Trade Department to use the emergency reserve funds of the Ministry of Commerce’s budget for Fiscal Year B.E. 2554 (2011) for expenses incurred under the aforementioned palm oil subsidy scheme. The expenses to be incurred are estimated at a total of Baht 139.62 million (26 liters of pure palm oil per month x 3 months x Baht 1.79 subsidy per liter). The Ministry of Commerce shall make an agreement with the Budget Bureau regarding the details of the disbursement without having to submit the final agreement to the Cabinet for a further round of review.
The Cabinet has authorized the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, to carry out restoration and repair work to archaeological sites damaged by the recent earthquake under a budget of Baht 66.4 million. The expenses will be paid through the ministry’s emergency reserve fund for fiscal year B.E. 2554 (2011). The Fine Arts Department will make an agreement with Budget Bureau on the payment details.
The Cabinet has acknowledged and endorsed the Ministry of Finance’s proposal to provide assistance measures to affected construction business operators as approved by the Supplies Procurement Committee on 16 February B.E. 2554 (2011). Assistance measures will be provided to construction business operators in provinces affected by the declaration of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation, B.E. 2548 (2005) during April-May B.E. 2553 (2010). Similarly, state enterprises and other relevant public agencies shall adhere to the same set of rules and conditions set aside by the Supplies Procurement Committee when considering their assistance measures. This is due to the fact that the Regulation of the Office of the Prime Minister on Procurement B.E. 2535 does not specifically cover state enterprises and other public agencies.
The Cabinet has approved the following proposals by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives:
1. Extension of construction period for Siyad Canal, Chasoengsao province from 18 years (Fiscal Year B.E. 2537-2554) (1995-2011) to 19 years (Fiscal Year B.E. 2537-2555)(1995-2012) without changes to the original budget allocation.
2. Extension of construction period for Kwae Noi Dam under Royal Initiation of His Majesty the King from 9 years (Fiscal Year B.E. 2546-2554) (2003-2011) to 10 years (Fiscal Year B.E. 2546-2555) (2003-2012) without changes to the original budget allocation.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives shall give due consideration to the recommendations made by the Budget Bureau and the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board.
The Cabinet has endorsed the draft United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPAF) 2012-2016 between Thailand the United Nations and has assigned the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs to sign the agreement on behalf of the Thai government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall be authorized to make any necessary minor changes to the agreement without having to seek approval from the Cabinet again.
The Cabinet has endorsed the establishment of vocational education institutes specializing in areas of agriculture, industry, technology, hotel management and maritime commerce throughout all regions of the country. The Ministry of Education has been tasked to draw up a resource-sharing framework to enable the joint and effective sharing of venues, teaching curricula, budget as well as human and management resources among the institutes. The relevant authority shall take into due consideration the recommendations proposed by the Minister of Information Technology and Communication (ICT). The Ministry of Education shall ensure that the proceedings are within the limits of and in accordance to the laws and regulations, and it shall submit its proceedings to the Office of the Council of State for its review and drafting of the Ministerial Regulation on the Establishment of Vocational Institutions, which will be presented to the Cabinet for a further round of review.
--Cabinet Meeting (Abhisit Vejjajiva) April 26, 2011--