Thai handout scheme cannot be rolled out by May as targeted

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Srettha Thavisin, Prime Minister of Thailand, speaks on the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Picture

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s controversial $14.3-billion “digital pockets” handout scheme, geared toward reviving a sluggish economic system, can’t be rolled out in Might as initially focused, a deputy finance minister mentioned on Wednesday.

The delay might be a setback for Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s authorities, which has been touting the signature handout coverage as important in boosting an economic system that’s lagging regional friends.

The scheme would give 10,000 baht (round $285) to 50 million Thais to spend of their native communities.

“At the moment, trying on the timeframe, it is unlikely for Might,” Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat mentioned, with out specifying a brand new timeline.

The programme, initially slated for February and delayed to Might, would have allowed Thais to obtain funds through a cell utility.

The digital pockets was a key election marketing campaign coverage of the ruling Pheu Thai social gathering. It’s core amongst a raft of stimulus measures that Srettha’s authorities has promised for Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economic system, together with debt suspension for farmers and a minimal wage hike.