BANGKOK: The Deputy Minister of Finance, Chulaphan Amornvivat, has announced that 99.5% of the 10,000 baht economic stimulus payments designated for vulnerable groups have been successfully distributed. With only 65,000 eligible individuals yet to receive their payments, Chulaphan urges the public to link their PromptPay accounts by December 21 to avoid forfeiting their benefits.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Chulaphan detailed the progress of the second round of payments, which took place on October 21. The funds were directed to two main groups: state welfare cardholders and disabled persons. Out of 371,591 state welfare cardholders, 311,751 have received their payments. Additionally, 38,265 out of 43,317 eligible disabled persons have also received their funds. The remaining 65,000 individuals mostly face issues related to linking their PromptPay accounts, which is necessary for the successful transfer of funds. The Deputy Minister emphasized that if these issues are not resolved before the final pay
ment round on December 21, the unclaimed money will be returned to the treasury.
Mr. Chulaphan reported that 99.5% of the overall target of 14.5 million people have received their payments, marking the initiative as a considerable success. When questioned about the economic impact of the stimulus payments, he stated that while precise figures are yet to be released, the initiative appears to have helped sustain economic stability amid challenges such as recent floods. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains at 2.7%. A final assessment of the economic impact is expected by the end of the year, with initial surveys indicating that most of the funds have been used for investment and consumption, aligning with the program’s objectives.