June 9, 2013, at 1530hrs, at Kamphaeng Phet Provincial Administration stadium (Rim Ping), Muang district, Kamphaeng Phet, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited and viewed the exhibition of government projects, such as eleven Village and Urban Community Funds (1 district 1 fund); eleven Women Empowerment Funds (1 district 1 fund); rice pledging scheme, tapioca intervention program; farmers’ credit card scheme; debt moratorium for minor farmers and low-income earners scheme; implementation of sufficiency economy projects; 1 tablet 1 child scheme; social pension for elderly people scheme; first car scheme; first house scheme; reserve fund for SMEs business owners; informal debt restructuring scheme; micro finance project; Kamphaeng Phet’s tourist attractions; Thai community product standard project; exhibition and sales of OTOP products from 4 provinces; exhibition of TO BE NUMBER ONE project; work display of outstanding village headmen; knowledge on insurances and accidental insurances; career exhibition; labor legal counseling service, offers of jobs and product sales. Participating and welcoming PM Yingluck and the delegation were village fund networks, members of Women Empowerment Funds, village/local headmen, village’s public health volunteers, concerned officers and local people, totaling 10,000 persons.
PM Yingluck expressed her pleasure to have an opportunity to visit the exhibition of government projects and to meet with the people of Kamphaeng Phet Province as it had been 2 years since her last visit. It was also a good opportunity, as the Prime Minister, to hold the 3/2013 Cabinet retreat at the lower Northern integrated provinces (Nakhon Sawan, Uthai-Thani, Kamphaeng Phet, and Pichit). According to PM Yingluck, the meeting would consider urgent budget requests for effective solutions in the local area. In fact, many of the government projects had already been implemented, such as Village Funds and Women Empowerment Funds. The Government also had a plan to collaborate with members of village’s public health volunteers on people’s quality of life and health.
PM Yingluck also stated that Kamphaeng Phet Province had great potentials for further development and improvement of local people’s livelihood particularly in the increase of product yields, water management and irrigation system, and connection between agricultural raw material producers and processing factories to promote more earnings for both sectors.
Moreover, there was also a plan to develop Sukhothai-Si Satchanalai-Kamphaeng Phet as the model of cultural cities for tourism Prime as these places were recognized as World Heritage Sites. It was expected that the Government’s systematical and integrative development of the historical sites would draw more tourists. Infrastructure development, such as transportation routes and high speed railways, was also planned in the area.
According to PM Yingluck, apart from the aforementioned government projects which aimed to increase people’s income and reduce social disparity, the Government had also implemented another project called “A Hundred Hands, Building Cities” in order for residents in urban areas of all provinces including Bangkok to have access of funds for projects or activities aimed at developing their own cities and neighborhoods such as projects for environmental development, social problem solutions, and development of tourist attractions. Budgets for proposed initiatives will range from 500,000 to 2,000,000 Baht, and a proposal must be made by a group of at least 100 families and submitted to local agencies for consideration.
Afterwards, PM Yingluck visited the exhibition and listened to the briefing and explanation on each project with interest. She also greeted and received warm welcome from the local people before heading further to Kamphaeng Phet Rajabhat University to attend a meeting of the regional Public and Private Joint Committee on Economic Solution.