President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced this Monday (10th) that the federal government’s new infrastructure investment plan, replacing the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), will have six strategic axes: transportation; social infrastructure; digital inclusion and connectivity; urban infrastructure; water for all and energy transition.
Lula held a ministerial meeting today to mark the first 100 days of his third term. Tomorrow (11), the president will travel to China.
“We have regained the capacity for long-term planning. And this planning will be translated into a great program that brings back the role of the public sector as an inducer of strategic investments in infrastructure”, he said. “We are going to take advantage of the experience we already had with the PAC and the concession programs to improve these mechanisms, making them even more efficient.”
According to the president, the state governments have already sent their lists of priority works, and the ministries are identifying other structural investments. The forecast is that the new program will be announced by the beginning of May.
President Lula coordinates the balance sheet meeting of the 100 days in office – Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/ Agência Brasil
For Lula, public and private investments and financing from official banks are fundamental for development with social inclusion and environmental sustainability. The government’s idea is to facilitate credit to micro, small and medium-sized companies and cooperatives, in addition to microcredit for individual entrepreneurs.
“We need to create the idea in society that these banks are public and have a different purpose than private banks. We don’t want them to lose money, but they cannot lend money at the same expense as private banks”, he defended.
According to the president, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), for example, has already withheld more funds for investments, which are now used to pay loans to the National Treasury. “Cow-hand treasure”, said Lula. “Good money is not money kept in a safe, it is money generating works, development, generating jobs, that is what is important”, she added, defending responsibility with expenses.
axes
In terms of the energy transition, the government should launch public notices for contracting solar and wind energy and auctions for new transmission lines, to “make the implementation of these clean energy parks even faster and more attractive”.
“And we will not miss the opportunity to become a global power in green hydrogen”, highlighted Lula. According to him, Petrobras will finance research into new renewable fuels and, at the same time, will resume investments in expanding Transpetro’s fleet of ships. “I never thought of Petrobras as an oil company, it is an energy company, historically, that has invested the most in research in this country, in innovation. The pre-salt discovery was the result of billions of investments,” he said.
In digital inclusion and connectivity, the goal is to bring high-speed internet to schools and social facilities, such as health centers. “I hope to see telemedicine working and that even the most humble can be assisted by great doctors in large urban centers”, said Lula, asking the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, to think about solutions for the population’s access to specialized health.
In transport, according to the president, railroads, highways, waterways and ports will once again be considered in a structuring way. “They will reduce the cost of transporting our agricultural production. And they will encourage the flourishing of a new, more technological and cleaner industrial base, ”he said. “In addition, we are going to equate the concessions of highways and airports that were unbalanced, resuming the planned investments”, he highlighted.
In the axis of water for all, one of the focuses is the resumption of the São Francisco River integration project.
In terms of urban infrastructure, Lula called for attention to improve housing and life conditions for people living in slums, stilt houses and other precarious places. “There is no more degrading way to live than living on stilts,” she lamented.
According to the president, disaster prevention works caused by floods and landslides will be taken off the ground and, with the new sanitation frameworkthe government wants to unlock and attract R$ 120 billion in public and private investments to universalize water and sewage services by 2033.
Lula also said that, in addition to Minha Casa, Minha Vida for the poorest population, it is necessary to create a housing program that serves the lower middle class, those who earn between three and four salaries. “The poorest are a priority, but we want to think about the whole”, she said.
In terms of social infrastructure, the focus will be on investments in hospitals, schools, day care centers and culture and sports centers. “The quality of life in cities is not just about houses, sanitation and transport”, he pointed out.
In this sense, the president criticized episodes of racism in the country. “We won’t admit it,” he said.
In more than an hour of speechthe president also dealt with several themes dear to the government, such as the fight against hunger, reduction of carbon emissions and zero deforestation, the agribusiness Harvest Plan, debt renegotiation, full-time schooling, investments in science and technology, guarantee policies of rights, fighting organized crime and strengthening democracy.
Earlier, the federal government released a list of public policies and actions carried out in the last three months. A Brazil Agency also prepared special material alluding to the 100 days milestonewith expert reviews.
Tax framework and interest
During his speech, Lula also highlighted that, with the new tax frameworkwhich will replace the spending cap, the government wants to “put the poor back on the Budget”.
“We are also working on a tax reform that corrects the historical distortions of a regressive and unfair tax system for Brazilians and federal entities. And it creates a much more dynamic and uncomplicated environment for the business sector,” he said. For Lula, the proposal will not have “100% solidarity”, even so, he believes in approval.
The president again criticized the level of basic interest rates of the country’s economy, defined by the Central Bank (BC). “I still think that they are playing with the country, with the poor people and, above all, with businessmen who want to invest. Just don’t see who doesn’t want to, ”he said.
Since August last year, the BC has maintained the Selic rate (basic interest rate) at 13.25% per year.
social participation
At the opening of the meeting, vice-president Geraldo Alckmin highlighted the government’s quick reaction after the acts of vandalism on January 8 in Brasilia. “You saved democracy from a coup attempt, and it came out stronger. The quick reaction of all Powers and the government itself has strengthened the democratic system, ”he said.
Vice-president Geraldo Alckmin, during the 100 days of government review meeting – Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/ Agência Brasil
The following day, the heads of the Three Powers and various rulers and authorities walked together from the Planalto Palace to the Federal Supreme Court, passing through the National Congress, in a symbolic act for the defense of democracy.
Alckmin also said that, in May, the government should install the Economic and Social Development Council, known as Conselhão. Very active in Lula’s governments, the collegiate had the participation of several businessmen and recognized personalities in different areas.
“Democracy means participation, and we observe a huge participation in all ministries”, he said. “A government that listens more makes less mistakes, modern government encourages the participation of organized civil society”.
The forecast is that, still this semester, the Ministry of Planning and Budget and the General Secretariat of the Presidency will begin the debates on the Participatory Pluriannual Plan. With activities in 27 states, the goal is to provide budget transparency and enable society to actively participate in the process of planning actions for the coming years.
The vice president also spoke about the different actions taken by the government in these first 100 days, such as the appreciation of the minimum wage and the extra values granted by the Bolsa Familia – BRL 150 per child up to six years old and BRL 50 for each member of the family between the ages of 7 and 18 and for pregnant women.
“If Juscelino Kubitschek said that it was 50 years in five, we can say that it was a thousand days in 100”, highlighted Alckmin.
