Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob has defended the ministry’s proposed 33.2% budget increase for fiscal 2027, saying the funding will accelerate digital transformation, strengthen government cloud infrastructure and enhance disaster preparedness.
The ministry has been allocated a total of 13.6 billion baht out of the 3.8-trillion-baht budget proposed for the new fiscal year that will begin on Oct 1.
Speaking during the debate on first reading of the budget in the House of Representatives on Thursday, Mr Chaichanok said the higher allocation included an additional 2.6-billion-baht investment to expand the Government Data Center and Cloud Service (GDCC), overseen by the Office of the National Board of Digital Economy and Society.
He said the GDCC is a critical component of Thailand’s digital government strategy, enabling state agencies to share a centralised cloud infrastructure, instead of procuring separate systems.
The centralised procurement model is expected to lower cloud service costs by more than 30%, reduce personnel expenses, cut procurement-related administrative costs by over 100 million baht, and improve procurement efficiency by reducing compliance and regulatory burdens on individual agencies.
Mr Chaichanok acknowledged that not all government agencies will migrate to the centralised cloud platform, citing three key reasons.
First, some agencies are already tied to existing long-term procurement contracts, he said.
Second, certain organisations require specialised cloud functions that differ from standard government requirements, such as the Ministry of Finance.
Third, agencies handling highly sensitive information — including the Department of Provincial Administration, the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Thai Police — must use their own dedicated systems to safeguard national security and sensitive data.
The minister also highlighted an additional 1.2-billion-baht allocation for the Thai Meteorological Department to develop an Earthquake Early Warning system, upgrade weather forecasting technologies and strengthen wildfire monitoring capabilities.
He acknowledged that no existing technology can accurately predict earthquakes before they occur.
However, installing monitoring equipment in high-risk areas and transmitting alerts to Thailand — even seconds before seismic waves arrive — could significantly reduce casualties and property damage.
Mr Chaichanok said the government is pursuing digital economy development and disaster resilience through both budgetary investments and cross-agency collaboration.
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