Registration for the 10,000-baht digital wallet handout will kick off on Aug 1, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
The prime minister revealed the date on X on Monday as the Digital Wallet Policy Committee met to discuss preparations for registering eligible recipients and vendors for the scheme.
He said agencies concerned were also instructed to introduce measures to address irregularities and thoroughly review eligibility if the scheme's conditions were breached.
Mr Srettha said the handout involves massive spending to stimulate the economy, so the government must look into all legal concerns and technical issues to ensure everything is above board.
"The implementation of the scheme will take some time, but the people will not be stood up," the prime minister wrote.
Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, who chairs a sub-committee working on the details of the handout, said the main committee agreed with the proposal not to borrow from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).
He said the committee also agreed with the proposed scaling down of the programme from 500 billion baht to 450 billion baht, adding that despite the change, it would have a positive impact on the economy.
Mr Julapun said that funding for the project would come from two sources -- the 2024 fiscal budget (165 billion baht) and the 2025 fiscal budget (258 billion baht).
Previously, the government said it planned to disburse 172 billion baht of funds from the BAAC for the scheme as one of three main sources of funding for the digital wallet programme.
However, obtaining a loan from the BAAC to finance the project would run into legal hurdles. BAAC law says the bank can only provide financial help to farmers and not offer its loans as economic stimulus.
Mr Julapun noted that the scheme still covers 50 million people, but the amount is set at 450 billion baht, following reviews of previous government projects, which showed that approximately 90% of eligible people registered.
"We followed the advice of agencies concerned about budget spending and agreed to trim the project cost. However, if the number of registered people exceeds 90%, we have budgetary mechanisms to deal with it," he said.
He said the committee also considered several proposals, including whether vendors who were found to have breached the conditions of previous state projects should not be allowed to participate.
Mr Julapun said the main committee also approved the so-called "Negative List" and asked the Commerce Ministry to consider if firearms products should be included.
The products currently not covered by the Negative List are electrical appliances, electronic devices or communication devices.
He insisted that despite the change to the funding sources, the money would be distributed by the last quarter of this year. The prime minister will announce the details of the scheme on July 24, he added.
Meanwhile, the chief government whip, Wisut Chainaroon, said on Monday that a bill to allow the spending of 122 billion baht from the 2024 fiscal budget to fund the digital wallets would be tabled for a House debate tomorrow.
He said the House is expected to spend about five days examining the bill in the first reading, adding that the government MPs will try their best to speed up the scrutiny process and pass the draft legislation as soon as possible.
Mr Wisut shrugged off the opposition camp's plan to seek the Administrative Court's intervention if the bill was passed.
"We'll expedite the examination because the people need the money. I believe the scheme can stimulate the grassroots economy," he said.
The Digital Government Agency, which is responsible for digital ID registration, said the registration system for the digital wallets via the Tang Rat app is 100% ready.