The National Development Council’s (NDC) policymaking committee has approved a preliminary review of NT$207.31 billion (US$6.69 billion) of public works projects for next year, the highest in a decade to advance Taiwan’s digital transformation, the council said on Monday.
Transportation-related projects are to receive NT$104.9 billion, or 50.6 percent of the budget, followed by environmental resources spending that would require NT$47.7 billion, or 23 percent, the council said in a statement.
Agricultural works would amount to NT$27.6 billion, while cultural and educational facilities would account for NT$8.9 billion and NT$5.04 billion each, it said.
Photo: Taipei Times file photo
The committee introduced a “digital infrastructure” category to demonstrate the nation’s seriousness about digital transformation, it said.
NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said in the statement that the category would cover infrastructure such as broadband network and digital platforms to bolster Taiwan’s digital communication and resilience in the event of natural disasters.
The government is to build physical digital infrastructure, but would also increase spending on soft digital infrastructure to boost their overall effectiveness, Kung said, adding that digital infrastructure would play a key role in the government’s pursuit of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
As of last month, the government fulfilled NT$273.9 billion of spending that had been allocated to public works projects this year, the most efficient use of the budget in 16 years, the council said.
The government is on course to achieve an execution rate of 96 percent toward the end of this year, higher than the 95 percent average for the past three years, Kung said.
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