Newly-appointed ministers start work

BANGKOK, November 5 (TNA) - Thailand's newly-appointed ministers officially started their work and briefed officials at their portfolios of their policies Monday. New Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana, for instance, told his ministry's officials that he will emphasize on improving educational services and students’ knowledge on mathematics and languages, promoting morality, producing quality personnel to meet social and industrial demand, quickly improving teachers’ quality, creating learning opportunities and reviving a scholarship project at the district level. New Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Yukol Limlaemthong and his two deputies, Yutthapong Charassathien and Siriwat Kachornprasart, also briefed their policies to his ministry's officials, including those stationed overseas, via a videoconference, emphasizing on the quick implementation of water management projects and plans to raise the prices of Thai farm products. The newly-appointed agriculture and cooperatives minister also told agencies tasked with the projects and plans to propose their relevant action plans within November 21. The agriculture and cooperatives minister said that he plans to develop Thai farmers to become "smart farmers" as well by setting up information and counseling centers to boost their knowledge, and that he has also ordered provincial agricultural officials to work out their provinces' agricultural development plans and the zoning of farm produce within December 31. Meanwhile, new Public Health Minister Pradit Sintawanarong plans to discuss the improvement of health security in Thailand at the next meeting of the National Health Security Board in his capacity as the chairman of the board, as he has played important roles in pushing for the integration of Thailand's three health welfare funds and their expansion to cover people suffering from emergency illnesses, AIDS, kidney diseases and cancers. (TNA)