32 million digital wallet registrants will not be abandoned: Julapun
Government will prioritise payments to vulnerable groups first, says deputy finance minister
The government has assured it will disburse the 10,000-baht handouts to those who are eligible and have registered via the Thang Raj application for the digital wallet scheme, but did not set a time frame.
“No one will be abandoned from the digital wallet scheme,” Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said on Friday. “All the eligible registrants will get their money, although the disbursement timeline cannot be specified yet.”
Under the scheme, Thais aged over 16 years will receive 10,000 baht to spend at local businesses in a bid to boost domestic spending and the local economy.
Other criteria to qualify for the handout are: the citizen should not be earning more than 840,000 baht per year and not have more than 500,000 baht in their bank accounts.
The first phase will start on September 25. Around 14.2 million people in vulnerable groups, holders of state welfare cards and those with disabilities will receive 10,000 baht per person.
Julapun said that currently more than 32 million people had registered for the handout on the Thang Raj app. The ministry will soon invite registration by those who do not have smartphones, he added.
“We want to prioritise payments to the vulnerable groups first,” he said. “After the registration of people not having smartphones concludes, we will know the total number of eligible citizens, minus those who have already been paid in the first phase.”
The deputy minister added that the government had earmarked 187 billion baht to disburse money in the second phase, expected to start next year, although he did not specify when.
Julapun acknowledged that the implementation of the digital wallet scheme had been delayed due to the transition to the new government. However, he expected the payment system to be completed by early next year, after thorough testing to ensure its reliability.
When asked if the money disbursement would be divided between cash and digital money at 50:50, Julapun said he could not provide a clear answer as the number of eligible recipients needed to be finalised first.
