BANGKOK: The government will deliver the 10,000 baht handout to people who are at least 60 years of age no later than the Chinese New Year as part of the second phase of the modified digital wallet scheme.
Deputy PM and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira told the press on Tuesday the Cabinet had resolved at its weekly meeting to provide some 4 million elderly people with 10,000 baht in cash by Chinese New Year at the end of January. The rest of the eligible recipients will get their share once the digital wallet system is ready between April and June next year.
The Pheu Thai Party had initially promised to hand out 10,000 baht to 50 million Thais aged 16 and above via a digital wallet scheme.
However, due to budget constraints, it trimmed the number of recipients to 45 million.
It then modified the scheme and decided to hand out cash to 14.5 million state welfare cardholders and registered disabled persons at the end of September after the digital wallet scheme could not be set up in time.
Speaking at the same press conference, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said the Cabinet had decided to hand out 10,000 baht in the second phase in late January or no later than January 29, the day of the Chinese New Year.
He said the government will target those who are at least 60 years old and have already registered for the handout via the Thang Rath application. He said the Finance Ministry will carefully check the recipients to ensure nobody who received the handout in the first phase gets it again.
“I promise nobody will be paid twice. The recipients in the second phase will belong to groups facing financial difficulties and they will receive the money in cash,” he said.
As for the elderly who do not have smartphones, they will be registered to receive the handout later.
Meanwhile, those below the age of 60 who have registered via the Thang Rath app will get their 10,000-baht handout once the digital wallet system is ready. He added that the third phase, which will be remitted via the digital wallet system, should start between April and June next year.
When asked why the government had not spoken about the second phase until it was promised on stage by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Julapun said the authorities have been discussing it for months and it was only just ready.
While campaigning for the Pheu Thai candidate for the Udon Thani Provincial Administration Organisation CEO election, Thaksin promised voters that they will definitely get the 10,000 baht handout soon.
“We have been discussing it for months and from different dimensions. We may have thought out loud until the media learned about it and Thaksin also knew about it,” Julapun said. - The Nation/ANN
