Bangkok: The Ministry of Finance is set to introduce stricter criteria for the state welfare card program, aiming to reduce the number of eligible recipients to below 13.2 million. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance will convene a meeting this afternoon to finalize the registration criteria, which will include enhanced verification processes to ensure that only truly low-income individuals receive benefits. The finalized criteria will be promptly submitted to the Cabinet for approval.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Lawaron Saengsanit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, announced that the Committee on Public-Private Partnership for Grassroots Economy and Society will meet today at 1:30 PM to finalize the registration conditions for the new State Welfare Card project. Should the meeting conclude with a clear decision on the criteria, the Ministry of Finance will quickly forward the proposal to the Cabinet Secretariat for inclusion on the agenda and subsequent Cabinet approval.
Mr. Lawaron indicated that the meeting will propose adding two or three new eligibility criteria to ensure that only genuinely low-income individuals receive the welfare card. It is anticipated that these new measures will reduce the number of eligible recipients to fewer than 13.2 million. He noted past concerns that individuals who were not truly poor were receiving welfare cards and emphasized the use of technology for a more rigorous screening process to ensure that beneficiaries align with the government's target group.
The initial screening process is expected to take two months, during which current welfare cardholders who meet the new criteria by June-July will continue receiving benefits for August-September. Those who do not qualify may receive benefits through the Thai Help Thai Plus 60/40 project. The Ministry of Finance is currently determining how these benefits will be distributed.
Regarding the Co-Pay Plus project, of the existing 1 million participating shops, 600,000 have confirmed their eligibility. The remaining 300,000 shops are required to confirm their status in anticipation of the spending period commencing on June 1st. Additionally, approximately 40,000 new shops have registered and are being verified by Ministry of Interior officials to confirm their existence.
In conclusion, registration for the Thai Help Thai Plus 60/40 project is set to close today, with the 30 million slots deemed sufficient for all applicants. Registration remains open until 10:00 PM.