The first budget proposal for the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program for an estimated NT$110 billion (US$3.6 billion) has been delayed until tomorrow as the Cabinet reviews the budget plan.
Following the passage on Wednesday of the Special Act on the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program (前瞻基礎建設特別條例), the Executive Yuan scheduled a Cabinet meeting for today to present the program’s budget plan for legislative review during the extraordinary legislative session starting this week.
However, the Executive Yuan announced that the Cabinet meeting would be postponed until tomorrow as it could not complete the review.
Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said the Cabinet was still reviewing proposed budgets as of Sunday evening so it was improbable that the proposals could be finalized today.
The budgets would include three infrastructure categories that were added to the program at the last minute, including projects to address food safety issues, low fertility rates and talent cultivation and retention, which lengthened the review process.
The Cabinet was also examining the budgets for railway projects, which had prompted a series of protests as they would incur hefty construction costs, Hsu said.
Official budget reports have to be printed for submission to the Legislative Yuan, which takes time, he added.
The railway budgets are reportedly to be about NT$17 billion to fund the construction of a new Kaohsiung MRT line, a light rail project in Keelung and another in Hsinchu, as well as the upgrade of a railway section between Pingtung and Taitung, and another section connecting Taichung’s Dajia (大甲), Dadu (大肚) and Wuri (烏日) districts.
A budget of NT$20.7 billion is reportedly to be proposed to improve the nation’s flood resistance with river management projects, drainage system upgrades and the construction of an artificial lake in Nantou County’s Caotun Township (草屯).
Another NT$37 billion is to be allocated for urban and rural development, including parking lots, road improvement projects and the construction of industrial parks.
About NT$16.1 billion is to be proposed for digital infrastructure to build cloud servers and improve Internet facilities in schools and rural areas.
A budget of NT$4 billion is to be proposed to improve food safety inspection, public childcare capacity and talent cultivation.
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