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Treasury Boosts Welfare Fund, Subsidizes Transport Fuel for 42 Days

Treasury Boosts Welfare Fund, Subsidizes Transport Fuel for 42 Days

Thairath•Politics•2d ago

Reader Briefing

Thai government implements economic relief measures including increased welfare payments and a 42-day fuel subsidy for the transport sector.

  • •The Thai Treasury has launched major relief measures to combat economic impacts.
  • •The State Welfare Card benefits will be increased to 400 baht for vulnerable groups.
  • •A 42-day fuel subsidy will be provided to the transport sector.

Overview

  • •On April 11, 2026, the Cabinet approved measures to assist those affected by the Middle East conflict.
  • •Aekniti Nitithanprapas stated the Treasury's major relief measures in response to the war crisis.
  • •The State Welfare Card benefit will be expanded from 300 to 400 baht for 13.22 million vulnerable individuals.
  • •A budget of 2,061 million THB has been allocated for the 42-day fuel subsidy for the transport sector, from April 20 to May 31, 2026.
  • •Various low-interest loan programs are being offered by GSB, GH Bank, BAAC, and ECCT to aid citizens, farmers, and SMEs.
  • •The Ministry of Finance and GSB are launching a 100,000 million THB soft loan program to help Thai businesses transform.
  • •The Disbursement Budget Office is tasked with reviewing and reducing government agency spending, including travel and energy consumption.
  • •These measures are designed to alleviate economic pressures, prevent economic slowdown and inflation due to the Middle East conflict.

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Source: Thairath (Original)

Key Quotes

Aekniti Nitithanprapas
"The government has a measure to alleviate the cost of living burden through the State Welfare Card for 13.22 million people, by increasing the spending limit from 300 baht to 400 baht for a period of 1 month."
รัฐบาลมีมาตรการบรรเทาภาระค่าครองชีพผ่านบัตรสวัสดิการแห่งรัฐ จำนวน 13.22 ล้านคน โดยการขยายวงเงินค่าซื้อสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภคเพิ่มขึ้นจาก 300 บาท เป็น 400 บาท ระยะเวลา 1 เดือน
Aekniti Nitithanprapas
"The Cabinet has supported a budget to subsidize fuel for the transport sector for a total period of 42 days."
คณะรัฐมนตรีได้สนับสนุนงบประมาณเพื่อช่วยอุดหนุนค่าน้ำมันแก่ภาคขนส่งเป็นระยะเวลารวม 42 วัน

Key Entities

Person

Aekniti Nitithanprapas(นายเอกนิติ นิติทัณฑ์ประภาศ)ℹ️
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Thailand, who announced major economic relief measures.

Policy

State Welfare Card(บัตรสวัสดิการแห่งรัฐ)
A welfare program in Thailand that provides financial assistance to vulnerable groups, with increased benefits announced.
GSB Soft Loan for Public Energy Sustainability Adaptation Project(โครงการสินเชื่อดอกเบี้ยต่ำ (Soft Loan) GSB สำหรับการปรับตัวเพื่อความยั่งยืนทางพลังงานสำหรับประชาชน)
A loan program by GSB to help citizens adapt to energy changes, such as installing solar cells or purchasing EVs.
Home Cool and Happy Loan Project(โครงการสินเชื่อบ้านอยู่เย็นเป็นสุข)
A loan from GH Bank for purchasing, building, or renovating homes with energy-saving features.
Home No. 5 Loan(สินเชื่อบ้านเบอร์ 5)
A loan from GH Bank for housing certified as energy-efficient by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.
Solar Roof Loan(สินเชื่อ Solar Roof)
An additional loan offered by GH Bank to welfare customers for the installation of solar roofs.
Half-Price Interest Loan Project(โครงการสินเชื่อดอกเบี้ยคนละครึ่ง)
A loan program by BAAC to support farmers with low-interest financing for production inputs, with the government subsidizing half the interest.
GSB Soft Loan for Thai Business Revitalization Project(โครงการสินเชื่อดอกเบี้ยต่ำ (Soft Loan) GSB พลิกฟื้นธุรกิจไทย)
A soft loan program by GSB and the Ministry of Finance aimed at helping Thai businesses transform and become more environmentally friendly and digital.
SME Green Productivity Loan Project(โครงการสินเชื่อ SME Green Productivity)
A loan project by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME D Bank) for SMEs adopting green technologies and processes.
EXIM Support Plus Measures(มาตรการ EXIM Support Plus)
A support program by EXIM Bank offering working capital and export insurance to Thai exporters affected by increased global shipping costs.

Organization

Cabinet(คณะรัฐมนตรี)ℹ️
The executive branch of the Thai government, which approved the new economic relief measures.
Transport Sector(ภาคขนส่ง)ℹ️
The sector of the Thai economy involved in the transportation of goods and people, which will receive fuel subsidies.
Government Savings Bank (GSB)(ธนาคารออมสิน)ℹ️
A Thai state-owned bank involved in offering low-interest loans for energy sustainability and business transformation.
Government Housing Bank (GH Bank)(ธนาคารอาคารสงเคราะห์)ℹ️
A Thai state-owned bank offering special-interest loans to promote energy efficiency and home sustainability.
Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC)(ธนาคารเพื่อการเกษตรและสหกรณ์การเกษตร)ℹ️
A Thai state-owned bank providing low-interest loans and training to farmers to reduce production costs and improve livelihoods.
Comptroller General's Department(กรมบัญชีกลาง)ℹ️
A Thai government department responsible for public finance, which is easing procurement rules for government contractors.
SMEsℹ️
Small and Medium Enterprises in Thailand that are eligible for transformation loans and green productivity programs.
Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Bank)(ธนาคารเพื่อการส่งออกและนำเข้าแห่งประเทศไทย)ℹ️
A Thai state-owned bank providing working capital and export insurance to Thai exporters affected by increased shipping costs.
Transport Company Limited(บริษัท ขนส่ง จำกัด)
A Thai transport company that will receive financial support to reduce travel costs for the public during the Songkran festival.
Bureau of the Budget(สำนักงบประมาณ)ℹ️
The Thai government agency responsible for budget allocation and oversight, tasked with reviewing government agency spending.
Non-scheduled trucks(รถบรรทุกไม่ประจำทาง)
A category of large and small trucks that will receive fuel subsidies.
Public motorcycles(รถจักรยานยนต์สาธารณะ)
Motorcycle taxis that will receive fuel subsidies.
Public buses Category 2 and 3(รถโดยสารสาธารณะหมวด 2 และหมวด 3)
Minibuses and van services that will receive fuel subsidies.
Public buses Category 4(รถโดยสารสาธารณะหมวด 4)
A category of public bus services that will receive fuel subsidies.
Fuel-powered taxis(รถแท็กซี่ที่ใช้น้ำมันเชื้อเพลิง)
Taxis that run on fossil fuels and will receive fuel subsidies.
Non-scheduled buses(รถโดยสารไม่ประจำทาง)
A category of buses not operating on fixed routes that will receive fuel subsidies.

Technology

Solar Cell(Energy Cell)ℹ️
A renewable energy technology for electricity generation from sunlight, mentioned as an area for loan support.
Electric Vehicle (EV)(EV)ℹ️
Electric vehicles which are supported by loan programs for purchase.