Mums, Children Main Focus Of Thai Govt's Welfare Outlay

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BT17-BN WELFARE SCHEME

Mums, Children main focus of welfare outlay

By The Nation

Over 5m will benefit from Bt17-bn populist programme next year; Measures part of reform agenda to promote social justice and 'equality'

The government will budget Bt17 billion for a new set of populist and social-welfare measures the details of which will be announced tomorrow.

Of the total amount, Bt11.2 billion is earmarked for improving the welfare of 5.1 million mothers and children nationwide; Bt3.4 billion for education and youth development; and Bt2 billion for reducing low-income earners' cost of living and solving problems faced by workers in the informal economy.

A Government House source said these measures were part of the national reform agenda to promote social justice and reduce inequalities.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij will be responsible for measures to reduce the cost of living and help workers in the informal economy, while PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey will oversee the rest of the measures, which will be implemented over the next year.

"For the 5.1 million mothers and kids nationwide, we will introduce measures to take care of pregnant women and babies aged up to two years, while providing more welfare to kids aged from three to five," the source said.

"For example, we'll set up child-development centres for every tambon in Thailand by the end of this year, while providing welfare to all pre-school kids at major construction sites."

For workers in the informal economy such as motorcycle taxi drivers, street vendors and cabbies, they will have access to bank loans and benefits under the social-security system via the government's contribution to the social-security fund.

The government will also launch housing schemes to help about 50,000 low-income households in rural areas nationwide.

"Regarding education and youth development, we aim to help 11.1 million kids to have wider opportunities in both formal education and vocational training," the source said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday chaired a meeting of ministers concerned with implementing these measures, including those responsible for finance, commerce, energy and the interior.

On Tuesday, the Cabinet will debate the comprehensive reform package.

Satit said: "The reforms will cover four aspects - economic parity, quality of life, social injustice and youth."

Satit said these measures would be explained by Abhisit during his weekly address to be televised tomorrow.

These measures have been called the Pracha Wiwat ("People's Development") programme by Korn, Satit said, adding that the overall reform would kick off this month.

A monitoring panel that reports directly to the prime minister will also be created.

The Pracha Wiwat programme will account for a major portion of the budget, while other reform measures will rely on regular funds earmarked for agencies in charge of implementation.

The outlay for reforms will be factored into the 2012 budget bill, though the government plans to encourage the business sector to get involved in the reforms and offer some financial help.

Satit said the reform package should not be considered a stimulus to fuel economic growth or a populist policy to sway votes.

"These reforms are about justice and parity for marginalised people," he said.

The reforms are aimed at the grass-roots level, people who cannot access public services and social welfare.

-- The Nation 2011-01-08

[asiawatcher]

I always love the way any policy like this gets tagged 'populist'. It is more essential than populist and especially given the state of the countries 'welfare'. Kids and mums do a great job. They need all the support they can get and they also need a boost to assist the man workforce. Assisting education is also a major part of the equation. Well done. Sooner the better.