Thailand expects less than 40m to join handout scheme: Lavaron

Thai Finance Ministry permanent secretary Lavaron Sangsnit (Photo supplied)
Lavaron Sangsnit, the permanent secretary of the Thai Finance Ministry ( Photo supplied )

A finance department official said on Monday that the government anticipates less than 40 million people signing up for its iconic digital wallet flyer program, with the first step going to be distributed to 14.5 million vulnerable people starting on September 25.

In accordance with its stimulus plan, the government intends to distribute 450 billion ringgit to 45 million people. This will result in a transfer of 10,000 ringgit to each person who registers to invest in their areas within six weeks.

About 36 million persons have so far registered for the program, some of which overlap with the vulnerable groups, Lavaron Sangsnit, the fund agency’s continuous director, told reporters.

There are about 3 million individuals without phones, he added.

” From the latest information, it is expected that the number of participants in the project will never achieve 40 million, which will allow for more flexibility in expenditure control”, he said.

The second phase of the donation is anticipated to begin in the new year, according to Mr. Lavaron.