Cabinet reallocates 26 billion baht from stimulus fund to emergency budget

Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said the decision followed a review of the progress of budget allocations and disbursements for stimulus projects earlier approved by the Cabinet on June 24.

As of August 19, the Budget Bureau had approved allocations for 49 agencies covering 8,431 projects, amounting to 109.8 billion baht. These allocations were made in line with supporting evidence, cost criteria, regulations and laws, Pichai explained.

The sub-committee overseeing the implementation of the economic stimulus plan endorsed the use of a dashboard titled “Economic Stimulus Plan under the 157-billion-baht Framework” to monitor and accelerate project execution in line with set objectives.

Under the 2025 Budget Act, 187.7 billion baht was earmarked for stimulus spending. Of this, 40 billion baht was assigned to programmes for senior citizens, with 30.43 billion baht already disbursed and 531 million baht returned.

In total, 8,939 proposals worth 115.37 billion baht had been submitted, along with phase two projects capped at 18.48 billion baht.

“After accounting for allocations and disbursements, it is estimated that about 26 billion baht remains unused in the stimulus budget,” Pichai said.

He noted that no new proposals had been submitted for the remaining budget, and with the fiscal year ending on September 30, the lengthy approval, procurement and contractual processes meant the funds risked lapsing under the law.

To maximise efficiency, flexibility and timeliness, the Budget Bureau authorised the transfer of the remaining 26 billion baht to the central emergency reserve. The move raises the emergency fund from 96.55 billion baht (2.57% of the fiscal budget) to 122.55 billion baht (3.27% of the fiscal budget).

“This transfer ensures the funds are effectively utilised to address urgent national needs with agility and efficiency,” Pichai said.