Ministry seeks Creative Economy Office

       In a bid to maximise the benefits of the Creative Economy, Creative Thailand project, the Commerce Ministry will next week propose that the government set up a Creative Economy Office to smooth its implementation.
       The office will directly handle the allocation of the scheme's Bt20.13-billion budget from the government, to ensure that it is spent on the right activities and creates the maximum benefit for the Kingdom.
       Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Pollabutr said the ministry needed the new office to smooth operations of the scheme's projects and increase the efficiency of its budget management.
       "The goal of the Creative Thailand project is sustainable development. Having the office will ensure that every government implements the policy. In particular, the improved budget allocation should create trade growth," said Alongkorn.
       Approval of the creation of the new office will be submitted to a meeting of the Creative Economy committee, led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, on Wednesday.
       Initially, the new agency will have an operating budget of Bt3 billion. All government units working on Creative Economy projects must transfer part of their human resources and delegate some of their tasks related to the Creative Economy scheme to the new agency.
       Those organisations are the ministry's Intellectual Property Rights Centre and Office of Product Value Development; the Information Communications and Technology Ministry; the Culture Ministry; and the Science and Technology Ministry.
       The new unit is expected to be set up by December. It will be administered by the Prime Minister's Office.
       The government has set aside Bt20.13 billion to fund the project, which is designed to increase the added value of Thai industrial and cultural assets. It is part of the Bt1.43-trillion Thai Khemkhaeng project.
       So far, about 300 project proposals from government agencies and private companies have been submitted to the government in the hopes of being awarded financial support under the Creative Economy scheme.