Thai Niyom Yangyuen (sustainable Thainess) is the pet project of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who introduced it and approved the Facebook page in February. The page has been quietly taken offline. (File photo)

Former auditor-general Pisit Leelavachiropas has expressed concern over the sustainability of local projects funded under the government's much-touted Thai Niyom Yangyuen, or Sustainable Thainess, programme.

He said Monday that the scheme is no different to a populist programme.

While the programme does help grassroots people, the government must spend a lump sum on the projects, said Mr Pisit, who added that there have been no assessments to determine whether the projects are economically viable or beneficial to people.

The cartoonish, official Facebook page for Thai Niyom Yangyuen, introduced in April, has disappeared completely from the social media platform.

The former auditor-general said the programme is deemed good from a big-picture perspective, but questions must be raised as to whether it can usher in sustainable development.

It is important for local officials to keep track of the projects to ensure they remain sustainable, he said.

According to Mr Pisit, local officials do not oversee various projects in villages or tambons properly.

Mr Pisit gave the example of a drinking water project in Nakhon Nayok, which experienced hurdles that responsible officials failed to resolve properly, and which led to the project being stalled for two years.

"The projects will never be successful if officials are careless," said Mr Pisit. "The government will not allow the projects to stall so people can benefit from them."

In defence of the Thai Niyom Yangyuen programme, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the programme's principle is to invest about 200,000 baht each in rural villages and give residents the discretion to decide what they will do with the money.

"This is in line with democracy, where the voice of the majority must be upheld," said Gen Prayut.

However, he stressed that he cannot guarantee if all the villages use the money in a proper manner.

"Do not say that Thai Niyom's funds are spent wastefully or used for electioneering," the prime minister said. "The truth is being distorted."

Regarding alleged irregularities with projects carried out under Thai Niyom Yangyuen, he said legal action will be brought against those involved.

The prime minister made the statement after he spoke to about 500 researchers from the state and private sectors as well as universities Monday at Government House to discuss various ways to promote sustainable development.

The group also handed the prime minister a white paper named "BCG in Action", which stands for Bio, Circular and Green economy.

Launched in February this year, Thai Niyom Yangyuen is intended to improve the collaboration between state agencies and academics to raise people's living standards, in line with the goals set by the government's 20-year national strategy.

The scheme is widely seen by critics as an attempt by the regime to shore up its popularity in the lead-up to the general election scheduled for Feb 24.