Bt600 monthly subsidy for children approved in principle
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit discussed his concerns about children in families that have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis with the National Child and Youth Development Promotion Commission on Thursday (July 2).
After the meeting, the commission agreed in principle to provide a Bt600 per month subsidy for children up to age six whose parents earn less than Bt100,000 a year from fiscal year 2022 onwards.
The government is already providing aid for families earning less than Bt100,000 a year, however, 30 per cent of children in these families are not able to take advantage of this subsidy because the process is too complicated. Also, some people believe they are not qualified to receive this support or cannot find the required documents.
The new universal child support will expand to cover 4.1 million children up to age six regardless of parents’ income, up from the 1.99 million underprivileged children currently being covered. The number of children in this age range is expected to drop to about 3.8 million in 2027.