Thai Gov Unlocks State Welfare Card Criteria for Old Cars and Students

Thansettakij•Economy•21h ago

Reader Briefing

The Thai government is adjusting State Welfare project criteria regarding vehicle ownership and education status to restore rights to eligible low-income citizens.

•The Ministry of Finance will propose the Cabinet to unlock conditions for old cars, old motorcycles, and non-formal students.
•The deadline for filing appeals has been extended to September 20, 2026.
•The government aims to restore rights to those who pass the review by October 1, 2026.

Overview

•The Ministry of Transport proposed that the Ministry of Finance review vehicle ownership criteria because current data often does not reflect the actual status of the vehicles.
•Many citizens were disqualified due to owning vehicles that are obsolete, lost, sold without transfer of ownership, or registered under their name fraudulently.
•The Ministry of Transport proposes exempting cars older than 20 years and motorcycles older than 15 years from being grounds for disqualification.
•Siripong Angkasakulkiat stated that non-formal education status should not be the sole reason for disqualifying low-income earners from state welfare.
•Winich Wisetsuwannaphum reported approximately 2.9 million people have applied for right reviews, with over 40% involving vehicle ownership issues.
•The Ministry of Finance will extend the Thai Chuay Thai Plus 60-40 project budget to provide aid for another 2 months for about 6 million people until new rights are processed.
•The Department of Provincial Administration will deploy officials to help 2.3 million vulnerable groups who have not yet completed identity verification (KYC).
•The Department of Provincial Administration has established One Stop Service coordination centers at all district offices to facilitate the appeal process.

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Source: Thansettakij (Original)

Key Quotes

Siripong Angkasakulkiat

"The criteria exist to help those most in distress, but when limitations are found that cause unfairness to the people, the Ministry of Transport must urgently resolve and facilitate as much as possible."

หลักเกณฑ์มีขึ้นเพื่อช่วยเหลือผู้ที่เดือดร้อนที่สุด แต่เมื่อพบข้อจำกัดที่ทำให้ประชาชนไม่ได้รับความเป็นธรรม กระทรวงคมนาคมก็ต้องเร่งแก้ไขและอำนวยความสะดวกให้มากที่สุด

Key Entities

Person

Siripong Angkasakulkiat(สิริพงศ์ อังคสกุลเกียรติ)

Deputy Minister of Transport who proposed the review of vehicle ownership criteria for state welfare.

Winich Wisetsuwannaphum(วินิจ วิเศษสุวรรณภูมิ)

Director of the Fiscal Policy Office who provided statistics on appeal requests and income verification.

Narucha Khosasivilai(นฤชา โฆษาศิวิไลซ์)

Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration overseeing the appeal communication process.

Organization

Ministry of Finance(กระทรวงการคลัง)ℹ️

The ministry responsible for proposing the adjusted welfare criteria to the Cabinet and reviewing rights.

Ministry of Transport(กระทรวงคมนาคม)ℹ️

The ministry that proposed the unlocking of vehicle ownership conditions to the Ministry of Finance.

Ministry of Interior(กระทรวงมหาดไทย)ℹ️

The ministry ordering provinces and districts to publicize the rights review process.

Department of Land Transport(กรมการขนส่งทางบก)

The agency collaborating to verify vehicle facts for those filing appeals.

Department of Provincial Administration(กรมการปกครอง)ℹ️

The agency coordinating forms with the Ministry of Transport and managing identity verification for vulnerable groups.

Fiscal Policy Office(สำนักงานเศรษฐกิจการคลัง (สศค.))

The organization providing data on the number of people requesting right reviews.

Cabinet(คณะรัฐมนตรี (ครม.))

The body to which the Ministry of Finance will submit the proposed criteria adjustments.

Policy

State Welfare Project(โครงการสวัสดิการแห่งรัฐ)

The government welfare program providing assistance to low-income citizens based on specific screening criteria.

Thai Chuay Thai Plus 60-40(ไทยช่วยไทยพลัส 60-40)

A project whose budget will be adjusted to provide bridge assistance for 6 million people during the appeal process.