BANGKOK, Thailand – Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has submitted a bill to Parliament seeking approval to transfer 10.32 billion baht from the fiscal 2026 budget to the Central Budget’s contingency fund, giving the government greater flexibility to respond to urgent national needs. The proposal was presented to the House of Representatives on behalf of the Cabinet. The fund’s original allocation of 99 billion baht has been largely used to address economic and social challenges stemming from domestic and international conditions. The additional funding would support emergency response, recovery efforts, and other unforeseen needs related to natural disasters and other emergencies during the remainder of the fiscal year.
The bill would reallocate funds from budget items that agencies are unlikely to fully use this fiscal year, or that can be postponed without disrupting essential operations. The transfers cover current expenditures, including seminars, training, public relations activities, and official overseas travel, as well as selected capital projects that have not entered procurement or can be deferred. The proposed reallocation includes about 9.04 billion baht from individual government agencies and 1.29 billion baht from integrated budget programs. Once the bill takes effect, agencies will be able to request funding from the contingency reserve for urgent or necessary missions under existing budget regulations. The government said the proposal complies with the Budgetary Procedures Act and follows Cabinet-approved guidelines for fiscal 2026 budget transfers. It added that the reallocation was prepared after ensuring sufficient funding remains for essential public services, legal obligations, welfare programs, employment, income-generating measures, and other necessary government operations. (NNT)
