Commerce Ministry Flags 700 Firms After Welfare Card Names Removed

The Commerce Ministry announced that the Finance Ministry declared results of the 2025 state welfare card eligibility review on July 17, 2025, with 9.3 million applicants failing to meet criteria. Of 19.6 million registrants checked, the Department of Business Development identified 122,324 people listed as directors, shareholders, or partners in 139,804 business entities. To align with the program's intent of supporting genuinely poor people, those who failed eligibility and are not contesting the decision—including business directors and shareholders who are evidently not poor—will have their benefits removed. The budget saved will be redirected to truly disadvantaged citizens who previously received no welfare support.

Citizens who failed eligibility and claim sharehold or partnership roles due to various circumstances—such as relatives borrowing their names, serving as nominees for foreigners, or administrative errors on their ID cards—may request verification. The Department of Business Development and provincial commerce offices nationwide are assisting applicants. Those wishing to challenge their status can submit a verification request form at the Department of Business Development or any provincial commerce office, presenting their ID card. Officials will check records and issue a written determination at no cost, with the option to submit a statement explaining how their name came to appear in business records.