Finance Ministry sets up financial aid centre for southern flood victims
Finance Ministry sets up aid centre for southern flood victims, focusing on crisis relief, debt support, and long-term rehabilitation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas has established an operations centre within the Finance Ministry to provide comprehensive aid to southern flood victims, from crisis response to rehabilitation.
Ekniti told reporters on Thursday that he had ordered the Finance Ministry to set up the Wayuphak Aid Operations Centre to manage aid and monitor the southern flood situation closely.
He assigned Lawan Saengsanit, Permanent Secretary of the Finance Ministry, to lead the coordination efforts across all agencies under the Finance Ministry to assist southern flood victims, including government agencies, state enterprises, and specialized financial institutions (SFIs).
The centre will mobilise efforts from all agencies within the Finance Ministry to systematically alleviate the suffering of flood victims.
The operations of the centre have been planned in three stages:
Stage 1: Crisis Relief
In the first stage, the centre will set up a donation centre at the 150th Anniversary Building of the Finance Ministry to collect necessities donated by state agencies, private firms, and the public. Donations will focus on food, drinking water, medicine, flashlights, and power banks.
The operations centre will bypass normal procurement regulations of the Comptroller General’s Department to allow government agencies in affected provinces to expedite procurement of supplies to aid the victims without breaching the rules.
The operations centre will also coordinate with the Treasury Department to find land for shelters for flood victims.
Stage 2: Remedial Support
In the second stage, Ekniti said, the operations centre will focus on addressing debt and loan issues for flood victims. SFIs will implement measures to suspend interest and loan repayments and offer soft loans for house repairs.
The operations centre will also coordinate with the Office of Insurance Commission to instruct insurance companies to expedite coverage payouts.
Additionally, the operations centre will collaborate with the State Enterprise Policy Committee to mobilise state firms to repair homes and utility infrastructure damaged by the floods.
Stage 3: Rehabilitation
In the third stage, the operations centre will consider measures for rehabilitating careers and businesses in flood-hit provinces to help revive the local economy. The centre will seek Cabinet approval for the loans required for this process.
