Poverty assistance info placed on cards
The government says it will provide cards containing information for a fixed subsidy and welfare amount each month for those who qualify under its poverty scheme, and the balance cannot be carried forward to the next month if there is a leftover amount.
Cardholders can use money stored on the cards to buy goods or receive discounts on fares for public buses and trains, said Suttirat Rattanachot, director-general of the Comptroller General’s Department.
Any remaining balance will be cancelled every month. People living in provincial areas will obtain different kinds of subsidies and welfare than cardholders in Greater Bangkok, Ms Suttirat said.
The number of registrants for the welfare scheme this year stands at 14.1 million, up from 8.27 million in 2016.
The ministry’s criteria this year requires applicants to be unemployed or to have had an annual income of 100,000 baht or less last year to receive aid under the programme. They must also have savings, bonds or savings certificates worth less than 100,000 baht combined.
If applicants own property, the space must not exceed 35 square metres for a condo unit, 25 square wah for a townhouse or 10 rai of land for agricultural purposes.
Applicants must be Thai nationals aged 18 and over.
The Finance Ministry recently estimated more than half of the 14.1 million registrants for the government’s welfare and subsidy scheme claim annual income below the poverty line in order to get more benefits, with many understating their income.
Those living below the poverty line are expected to receive the allowance, in addition to other benefits being offered to those earning between 30,000 and 100,000 baht a year. Thailand’s poverty line stands at 30,000 baht a year or 2,500 baht a month.
Ms Suttirat said the ministry is rechecking financial and asset information of those who registered for the scheme. Cards are scheduled to be distributed to qualified persons by Sept 30 to allow them to start using the assistance on Oct 1.
The government has assigned Krungthai Bank to issue cards to those who meet the criteria, she said. The country’s secondlargest bank by assets has the capacity to issue 200,000 cards a day.