The cabinet on Tuesday approved a new phase of its co-payment subsidy scheme and doubled its monthly handout for poor and needy people for September and October.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said after the cabinet meeting that the fifth phase of the Khon La Khrueng co-payment scheme would provide each recipient with 800 baht during the two months period. A recipient could use no more than 150 baht from the handout per day.
The cabinet also resolved to double the monthly handout for holders of government welfare cards; those who had no smartphones and no access to the internet and the government’s Paotang wallet app; and those who were dependants, Gen Prayut said.
Their monthly handout will rise from 200 baht to 400 baht per month during September and October.
Recipients could start to use the handouts under both programmes from Sept 1, the prime minister said.
“The schemes are aimed at relieving people’s financial burden and stimulating the grassroots economy,” he said.
The government initiated the co-payment subsidy scheme in October 2020, offering to meet 50% of the cost of food, drink and general goods purchases for participants, with the total subsidy limited to 150 baht per person per day.
The scheme aims to boost the economy and shore up people’s spending, affected by Covid-19 outbreaks.
It will help maintain purchasing power, with about 48.6 billion baht to be injected into the economy, lifting gross domestic product by 0.13% this year, ministry spokesman Pornchai Theeravet, who also heads the fiscal policy office, said in a statement.
The fourth phase of the scheme ended on April 30.