BANGKOK: Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul confirmed on Tuesday (Jan 21) that the government would remit 10,000 baht to eligible recipients in the third and final phase, either in the second or third quarter of this year.
Paopoom was responding to comments made by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who stated on Monday that the third phase of the 10,000-baht handout would occur either in March or April.
Paopoom said Thaksin’s timeline was consistent with the government’s plan for the final phase of the 10,000-baht handout to stimulate the economy.
The deputy finance minister explained that the government anticipated the second or third quarter to be a low season for tourism, making it an opportune time to remit 10,000 baht to eligible recipients via a digital wallet platform to boost the economy.
“As the government has stated, we will inject the money into the economic system at the right time, when tourism enters its low season, which typically falls in the second or third quarter. The government has already planned to implement this during that period,” Paopoom said.
Paopoom added that the digital wallet platform would be ready in time for the third phase of the 10,000-baht handout.
He also confirmed that the second phase, in which 4.5 million elderly people will receive the money, would proceed as planned on Jan 27. He noted that elderly individuals who registered as recipients via the Thang Rath app would be able to check their eligibility on Jan 22. - The Nation/ANN
