New e-welfare cards rolled out

The government started handing out e-welfare cards in parts of the country yesterday, giving those most in need a fixed allowance for expenses ranging from daily necessities to educational materials.

The cards will be rolled out nationwide on Oct 1 with the exception of seven provinces due to technical limitations, the government said.

Long queues comprising mostly elderly people formed yesterday in front of state agencies, including branches of the Government Savings Bank, Krungthai Bank, and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives from the early hours to grab the cards.

In Nakhon Ratchasima half a million people are eligible to receive the cards, officials said.

In Phitsanulok, 77-year-old Sinuan Yuttitham was one of 160,000 people who qualified.

“I plan to use it to get a discount on cooking gas,” she said.

Card holders can enjoy a 45 baht deduction every three months if they buy cooking gas from stores listed by the Energy Ministry.

Those who earn under 30,000 baht a year also get 300 baht a month to buy necessary products from participating stores.

People who earn less than 100,000 baht a year are entitled to a 200-baht monthly allowance.

The rollover nature of the scheme means any unspent money can be used in subsequent months.

Minla Kalong, a 41-year-old villager in Trang’s Kantang district, applauded the scheme.

“I’m really glad,” she said. “I’ll use the cards to support my children’s education.”

Thida Bunrat, the financial office chief in Trang, said card-holders will also get 1,000 baht a month for travel expenses.

The cards can be used from Oct 1.