New annual records were set in public works investment last year, Premier Jiang Yi-huah declared today after a Public Construction Commission (PCC) briefing.
The 2013 budget implementation rate for public works projects which were allocated over NT$100 million (US$3.3 million) was 95.34 percent; for state-funded portions of i-Taiwan 12 Projects, it was 94.73 percent. Meanwhile, some NT$309.6 billion (US$10.2 billion) was invested by the private sector in infrastructure projects in 2013, approximately double the year's original goal of NT$156 billion (US$5.1 billion).
The premier praised relevant agencies for their efforts and said public servants with outstanding performance in this field should be rewarded in accordance with administrative guidelines.
Work on certain projects is lagging behind, however, Jiang warned, and he instructed the authorities responsible for them to step up supervision and remove obstacles to construction to speed progress. Moreover, rewards and punishments must be used to improve budget implementation, he emphasized.
Statutory procedures for the 2014 central government budget have already been completed and funding levels for each agency confirmed, the premier noted. He thus demanded each ministry and agency to complete its planning promptly and keep tabs on project implementation schedules.