The government is to invest NT$72.7 billion (US$2.38 billion) in urban and rural infrastructure over the next two years, sources with knowledge of the matter said.
If passed, the urban and rural infrastructure plan would be the single largest item in the special budget allocated to the second phase of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Premier William Lai (賴清德) has already approved a NT$227.1 billion budget for the second phase of the program and the proposed budget is to be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review next month, they added.
The first phase of the program — which runs from September last year to December this year — received NT$107.1 billion, NT$35 billion of which was allocated to urban and rural infrastructure.
The second phase — from next year to 2020 — is to include NT$12.2 billion toward green energy infrastructure development, NT$27.8 billion for digital infrastructure, NT$59.3 billion for water infrastructure, NT$42.2 billion for railway development, NT$72.7 billion for urban and rural infrastructure and NT$12.9 billion toward childcare, food safety and human resource development, the sources said.
As part of the new plan, the government is to spend NT$3 billion each year for two years to revitalize municipal centers, the sources said.
A total of NT$10.6 billion is to be allocated next year and NT$10.4 billion in 2020 to improve road quality, reduce the need for road repairs, improve road safety and improve the overall aesthetics of thoroughfares, bringing the two-year total to NT$21 billion, they said.
The government plans to spend NT$4.1 billion per year for two years to develop locally oriented industrial parks, they said.
The government also plans to spend NT$3.5 billion next year and NT$2.9 billion in 2020 to create sports and leisure facilities, such as recreation centers, swimming pools and bicycle paths, they said.
It is to allocate NT$2.4 billion next year and NT$2.2 billion in 2020 to developing public service centers, including for long-term care, they added.
Under the plan, the government would also spend NT$5.8 billion over the next two years on seismic strengthening and reconstruction of publicly owned buildings, they said.
The government would invest NT$800 million next year and NT$4 million in 2020 to develop a Hakka Romantic Avenue along Provincial Highway No. 3 as part of its efforts to preserve and promote Hakka culture, they said.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
RSS