NESDC promises injection of Bt50-billion stimulus into economy from October
The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has eased fears of a delay in the disbursement of a Bt400-billion economic stimulus package due to the Covid-19 situation, saying the Cabinet had already approved the first portion of the budget of Bt50 billion.
Danucha Pichayanan, NESDC deputy secretary-general, said that the money should be injected into the economy from October onwards.
“The budget came from several sources, including a loan from the Central Budget Act and fiscal 2021 budget that should be ready by October,” he said.
“The NESDC is carefully planning the use of the budget for select campaigns, as we must take into account the possibility of a second wave of the virus outbreak. If we spend the entire budget in the early phase, we won’t have any reserve in case the second wave really happens.”
Danucha added that Bt45 billion of the Bt1-trillion stimulus that the government had passed would be earmarked for buying medical supplies and equipment "to make sure that our public health staff is ready if the outbreak escalates. So far, Bt4 billion of this budget has been disbursed".
