E-welfare cards stimulate community economy

SAMUT PRAKAN, Oct 20 (TNA) -- The government’s electronic welfare cards for the poor are circulating 1.6-1.7 billion baht as more people are buying goods at community-based shops, according to the Commerce Ministry. Deputy Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong inspected Blue Flag discount shops that accept payment with e-welfare cards in Samrong area and found that card holders were continuously buying consumer products with government subsidies offered through the cards. Mostly bought products were fish sauce, rice, dried and instant foods, and seasonings. Most buyers used all subsidies and thus helped boost communities’ economy as daily sales at a local retail shop soared from 2,000-3,000 baht to 10,000 baht and the number of daily customers rose to 70 at each shop. Mr Sontirat said the electronic system sometimes halted due to internet problems and that resulted in slow calculation, especially when there were many customers at a time. He asked shopkeepers to advise customers on the proper use of the e-welfare cards. He also warned that any shopkeepers who abused the use would be excluded from the trade with the government’s e-welfare cards. According to him, electronic data capture (EDC) machines have been installed at about 7,000 shops nationwide to read the cards. The figure will exceed 8,000 late this month and approach 20,000 next month. Mr Sontirat told the Business Development Department to select 20-30 model shops nationwide. He also said that the e-welfare card scheme already injected about 1.6-1.7 billion baht into grassroots’ economy in the past 19 days. (TNA)