Prayut orders a review of ailing welfare card project

[rooster59]

Prayut orders a review of ailing welfare card project

By BUSINESS REPORTERS 
THE NATION

 

 

Key ministers told to resolve problem of slow implementation of aid for low-income thais

 

PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha has demanded that government agencies review and improve the welfare cards project that was launched in October, which aims to support 11.2 million low-income Thais, an informed source says. 

 

The Commerce Ministry and Krung Thai Bank (KTB) have been blamed for the slow installing of Electronic Data Capture (EDC) equipment at cooperatives across the country. 

 

Prayut has asked key ministers – in Finance, Commerce, Transport, and Energy and related agencies – to review the project which is in its first three months of implementation. The welfare cards were introduced to support individuals whose annual income is below Bt100,000. 

The money is intended to cover monthly spending on basic necessities such as food, cooking gas and transport. 

 

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and PM’s Office Minister Suvit Maesincee, have been assigned to coordinate with related ministers and officials on several issues. This includes the next round of registrations, increasing the subsidy, expanding welfare coverage and increasing the number of shops where the cards can be used for goods.

Prayut also wants to impose measures that will prevent misuse of the cards or corruption. Somkid previously asked the Finance Ministry to consider more support for the poor who register under the welfare card scheme. 

 

He suggested that agencies provide job training for people aged between 18-60 years old. The government is expected to announce a job training project and other additional assistance next month that will kick off early next year. 

 

The Government Savings Bank (GSB), the Labour Ministry and Commerce Ministry will be responsible for arranging job training for people living in big cities.

 

For the poor who live up-country, GSB, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) have been instructed to introduce deposit and lending products for the poor. This would include a higher interest rate than market rate for deposits, while they will pay a lower rate for loans. The aim is to assist the poor to set up their own businesses. 

 

Job training for farmers

 

Prayut also asked the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry and the Interior Ministry to fund job training or job creation for the low-income group. The Agriculture Ministry was also assigned to help farmers who suffer from lower prices for their products, by introducing new crops or alternative farming businesses. 

 

Prayut wants ministries and related agencies to submit their plan to the Cabinet for approval soon. 

 

An informed source at the BAAC said that after one month of card distribution, the bank has allocated 94 per cent of the cards to 6,160,000 eligible people who registered with the bank. About 300,000 have not yet shown up to receive their cards which must be picked up within a year. 

 

Critics have said the welfare card project is not well designed. Somchai Jitsuchon, an economist at the Thailand Development Research Institute, said that those who have registered for a welfare card may not actually be poor. He said the number of poor, according to National Economic and Social Development Board data, is about 4-5 million. 

 

As well, critics on social media have said the project would only benefit large shop owners as small operators do not have EDC machines which process the welfare cards. 

 

Shops that receive welfare cards must be approved by the Commerce Ministry and installation of the EDC must be approved by the KTB.

 

 A source in the BAAC said that the bank needs 589 EDC machines for its cooperative shops, but so far it has only 91.

 

The GSB says that so far it has distributed 2.6 million cards and 3 million people have registered. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/business/30331339

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-11

[Bob12345]

While the whole implementation seems to become a typical disaster, but what would you expect when you put soldiers in charge of a country, it is a step in the right way.

 

Once it has all been rolled out it will be up to the next governments to make adjustment; who gets how much, on what and where can it be spend, etc. 

 

Hope they will link it to free public transport (as was the case previously) so workers can find jobs wherever there is demand. 

 

At least its a step in the right way and besides for the implementation one of the few positive things the junta is trying to do.

[Cadbury]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The Commerce Ministry and Krung Thai Bank (KTB) have been blamed for the slow installing of Electronic Data Capture

Given the recent ruckus over the registration of foreign workers and the subsequent resignations (sackings?) it now appears that this debacle of the welfare card is also somewhat of an embarrassment to the PM. 

So if history is anything to go by then the current Minister for Commerce could be in line for the chop in the ministry reshuffle. 

[nausea]

10 hours ago, rooster59 said:

As well, critics on social media have said the project would only benefit large shop owners as small operators do not have EDC machines which process the welfare cards

Indeed. It's going down a storm at my local CJ Express. The place is packed most of the time with people clutching their Welfare Cards. They must be raking it in. It's become a bit of an ordeal to buy my box of cornflakes, notwithstanding the register theoretically set aside for cash payments.

 

10 hours ago, rooster59 said:

those who have registered for a welfare card may not actually be poor.

Well, no surprises there. To be fair, I've seen no Mercedes(es) or Mini-Coopers loading up outside our CJ yet.

 

[the guest]

Well fair enough !

[Eric Loh]

I don’t recall any of the junta projects which are successfully ran even the easy one like beach chairs or lottery prices. The big projects like foreign workers, EEC, HS train, illegal fishing and Ankara gold mine have all run into problems at some stage. If he was an elected PM, Parliament will demand a no confidence vote. But he is safe. Upside of seizing power and granting himself amnesty. 

 

 

[Srikcir]

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

review the project which is in its first three months of implementation.

Actually it's only in its first one month of implementation and encountering problems. But if one is in a rush to get a welfare system in place before 2018 elections to "capture the hearts" of the low-income voters, every day counts.

[coulson]

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

He suggested that agencies provide job training for people aged between 18-60 years old. The government is expected to announce a job training project and other additional assistance next month that will kick off early next year. 

 

What jobs will they go into?

 

More useless statues standing around thaiwatsadu?

 

There is no problem with the workforce, it is the useless spending that needs bloody fixing.

 

12 hours ago, rooster59 said:

An informed source at the BAAC said that after one month of card distribution, the bank has allocated 94 per cent of the cards to 6,160,000 eligible people who registered with the bank. About 300,000 have not yet shown up to receive their cards which must be picked up within a year. 

 

12 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The GSB says that so far it has distributed 2.6 million cards and 3 million people have registered

Doesn't add up as usual.