A Creating Sustainable Local Regional Revitalization Project, with a budget of NT$6 billion (US$191.46 million), is to be carried out under the collaboration of relevant ministries and government agencies over the next four years, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
Executive Yuan spokesman Lin Tzu-lun (林子倫) cited Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) as saying during a Cabinet meeting that the first five-year project has delivered some successful results in balancing city and township development in both urban and rural areas.
The younger generation is aware of the developmental difficulties of their hometowns and has proposed many creative solutions, Chen said.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
Implementing these solutions could gradually improve local townships and help retain and attract a younger population in tandem with government policy, he said.
Chen asked that all ministries assist with projects and also asked that all agencies involved work with other countries on such projects, thereby maximizing Taiwan’s international presence.
National Development Council (NDC) Department of National Spatial Planning and Development Director-General Huang Wen-yen (黃文彥) said the Executive Yuan began implementing the project in 2019 and expedited implementation with an additional NT$4.8 billion in funding from the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program in 2020.
The program has helped young people and local groups establish regional support systems that provided systematic assistance for local development, he said.
The NDC has held 39 meetings over the past few years and approved 141 projects, of which private groups have proposed 54, he said, adding that this was a sign that there is an increase in local demand for such projects.
“There is an evident need to continue the project,” he said.
The project has created 230,000 non-resident and returning-visit populations, attracted and helped local townships retain 11,000 young people, helped create 11,000 jobs, attracted 7.46 million visitors and helped create about NT$2 billion in income for local townships nationwide, he said.
The NDC hopes to involve more private corporations and step up links between the projects and international communities, adding that the project is also setting up talent-fostering camps for younger people, he said.
Chen said that with the government’s assistance, younger generations devoted to the project are like seeds that will gradually grow and exert their own influence on society, adding that he hoped the project would continue to have positive feedback and give younger Taiwanese a chance at happiness.
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