Thailand’s state welfare card holders have been approved to get three handouts of 1,000 THB each as long as they have not fallen under other governmental financial aid campaigns surrounding the efforts to help those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The news was approved yesterday and according to director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office, Lavaron Sangsnit, it will be paid in three monthly installments which have been backdated from May. That means each person should be getting 2,000 THB this month, with another 1,000 THB to be automatically deposited in July-marking the end of the campaign.

Those who have reportedly already received Bt15,000 from the Ministry of Finance’s “Rao Mai Ting Gun” (we do not leave anyone behind) campaign or from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives’ campaign to help affected farmers, will not be considered for the Bt3,000 state welfare handout.

Those who have received Bt3,000 from a campaign by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security aiming to help people in vulnerable groups, also will be excluded.

“Currently there are 13.4 million state welfare card holders, but only 1,164,222 people or 8 per cent will be eligible for the handout, with a total budget of Bt3.492 billion,” said Lavaron.

12.59 million welfare card holders or about 92 per cent will not receive the handout, as 5.69 million people, or 41 per cent, had received the money from the Rao Mai Ting Gun campaign, 3.54 million people, or 25 per cent, had received money from the campaign to help farmers, 2.1 million people, or 16 per cent, received money from help for vulnerable groups, 760,000 people, or 6 per cent, are covered by the social security scheme while 500,000 people, or 4 per cent, had failed the screening process.