The number of registrants for the government's welfare and subsidy scheme for the impoverished through the national e-payment system in this year's round surged by 50% year-on-year, says Pornchai Thiraveja, an adviser to the Fiscal Policy Office.
At 3.30pm yesterday, when registration closed, the number of registrants totalled 13.45 million.
There were 8.27 million registrants for the scheme last year, but 1.3 million of them were later deemed unqualified.
The Finance Ministry will require the underprivileged to sign up for the scheme every year as a way to update information.
With registration and assistance through the national e-payment system, the government hopes to direct help those in need and alleviate the budgetary burden of providing blanket assistance.
The ministry's criteria for this year requires applicants to be unemployed or have an annual income of 100,000 baht or less last year to receive aid under the programme. They must also have savings, bonds and 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 above.
Following registration, the Finance Ministry will forward registrants' information to the Revenue Department, the Land Department, financial institutions and the Bank of Thailand to screen the applicants.
Names of those whose qualifications meet the scheme's requirement will be announced on Aug 1.
The government will start giving electronic cards to qualified people by September.
The government plans to offer free rides on public buses and trains, as well as subsidised utility bills for those at the bottom of the economic ladder.
The cabinet last week approved a Finance Ministry proposal to establish a 50-billion-baht Pracha Rat Fund for Low-Income Earners to reduce income disparity in the long run. The fund will be financed by the fiscal 2018 budget.