Next month, the Finance Ministry will review the criteria for qualification to receive financial support from the state under the state welfare card program.
Relevant agencies have been instructed to review the criteria, to ensure that applicants are genuinely poor and in need of state support.
Their recommendations will be submitted to the grass root economy committee for consideration in November, before a new round of applications to join the program are received in March.
Currently, people who apply for state welfare cards must be unemployed or have an annual income of 100,000 baht or less, have bank deposits of no more than 100,000 baht, own property on land no larger than 100m2 or a condominium unit no larger than 35m2 or own more than 1.6 hectares of farmland.
The program was launched in 2017 by the administration of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. 14.2 million people applied, with 11.47 million meeting the criteria. The following year, 3.14 million people qualified.
According to the Comptroller Department’s latest records there are currently 12.4 million card holders. Several economists disagree with the program, claiming that it does not help to eradicate poverty and increases the financial burden on the state.
