Deadline set for welfare card pickup

The Finance Ministry has set Sept 30 as the final deadline for welfare card registrants to pick up their cards, according to government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

As of now, 11.02 million people or 96% of all 11.46 million who had registered for the welfare scheme for the poor have picked up their cards. The remaining 400,000 who did not come to get their cards will be given until the end of September, or face losing the welfare perks, Lt Gen Sansern told media yesterday.

The Finance Ministry would also complete providing electronic data capture machines (EDC) to all Thong Fah shops by the end of September. Thong Fah shops are those authorised under the welfare for the poor scheme launched by the military government last October.

As of today, the Finance Ministry has already set up 30,460 EDC machines for authorised shops to use with welfare cards.

“Since October, 30.7 billion baht has already been allocated to the welfare card scheme to support those poor who make between 30,000 and 100,000 baht a year,” said Lt Gen Sansern.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport has confirmed it is ready to provide free rides to welfare card holders on the MRT Blue and Purple lines from July 20.

Later on, welfare card-holders will be able to use their credit on all transportation under the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), including the Airport Rail Link.

“However, the card cannot be used on the BTS Skytrain as it is not yet in partnership with the Ministry of Transport. We will have to wait for further developments with this matter,” said Lt Gen Sansern.

He also said that the authority also had investigated fraud in the welfare card scheme.

There had been reports accusing several Thong Fah Shops of swindling card users by adding 7% VAT to purchases, all of which are exempt under the scheme.

“The government has learned that there is fraudulent behaviour with a small group of Thong Fah shops. In retaliation, we have already withdrawn EDC systems from a number of these shops, revoked their licences for our welfare scheme and will likely press charges against them as this is an act of corruption,” said Mr Sansern.