Low-income earners check their rights for govt welfare

BANGKOK, Sept 15 (TNA) – After registration for the government welfare, low-income earners today started checking their eligibility at the banks before the welfare cards will be issued for those who passed verification on September 21. The registrants can check their eligibility through three channels – the websites of the Ministry of Finance, the Fiscal Policy Office and the National E-Payment or the call center at 1359 or the banks and local authorities. About 14 million people earlier applied for the welfare for the poor. About 2.7 million applicants failed to meet the required qualification. Among all of 14 million applicants, 1.3 million people informed that they owed informal debt. About 43,000 of these debtors registered their names with the Government Savings Bank. The bank will call them in to give them advice on particular loans for these groups of people to settle their informal debt. In another project to help the poor, the bank also offer emergency loans not more than 50,000 baht for the poor and small scaled farmers, who need money in emergency cases under the condition that the loan must not be used to refinance their existing debt. The poor can seek the loan within one year after the cabinet’s resolution on Feb 21. For the emergency loan, the debtor will pay a flat rate interest rate at a maximum of 0.85 per cent per month and are required to pay back all installment loan within five years. (TNA)