Finance Ministry Opens 200-Billion-Baht Fund Transfer for Aid Program
Thailand's Finance Ministry is fast-tracking approval of a 200-billion-baht fund transfer to sustain relief payments under Thai Help Thai Plus, which currently costs 40 billion baht monthly and will run dry after one month without additiona
Finance Permanent Secretary Lawaron Sangsonit has announced that a cabinet-level spending approval committee will convene this week to review three major projects: Thai Help Thai Plus (Finance Ministry), Thai Tourism Thai Plus (Tourism and Sports Ministry), and public solar rooftop installation support (Interior Ministry). Current relief payouts under Thai Help Thai Plus require approximately 40 billion baht per month, but existing budget can cover only one month. Phase 2 design parameters—including payment levels and program structure—are being finalized by the Office of Fiscal Economics. If the second 200-billion-baht relief tranche under the 400-billion-baht borrowing law proves insufficient, the Finance Ministry can legally reallocate funds between the first 200-billion-baht tranche and the second 200-billion-baht clean energy transition allocation. The screening committee will expedite recommendations to the cabinet before the program ends on September 30 to ensure continuity without disruption to recipients. A decision on extending the program through year-end depends on final proposals from relevant agencies.
