Dhanin Chearavanont, the senior chairman of Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, has been named the country's most exemplary senior citizen of 2024.
A total of 53 candidates were nominated for the National Senior Citizen Award this year to recognise the contributions made by the elderly to society.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin, chairman of the national senior citizen committee, said the committee voted unanimously to select Mr Dhanin, 85, to be senior citizen of the year.
The decision honours Mr Dhanin's contributions to society for over four decades through the True Plookpanya project, which has offered equal educational opportunities to young Thais, Mr Somsak said.
The committee also acknowledged a policy proposal regarding the population crisis and ageing society.
This includes the expansion of a "time bank", a system for the exchange of time and services among senior citizens.
The time banking concept aims to relieve the burden of an ageing society by offering basic services and assistance to the elderly via a deposit-and-withdrawal system.
Members can "deposit" their time by providing services, such as running errands or escorting someone to the hospital, to other members and can later "withdraw" their time whenever they need the services.
The time bank concept has been adopted by 32 countries worldwide including New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and Japan.
In Thailand, a time banking network, operated by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation since 2018, is available in 80 areas across the country with 12,566 members.