Budget Bureau allocates THB230 billion to tackle flood crisis
The Budget Bureau has earmarked 230 billion baht from the central budget of fiscal 2023 to tackle the flood situation in the country, bureau director Chalermphol Pensoot said on Tuesday.
Chalermphol said 6 billion baht would be allocated as compensation to people affected by floods, with a maximum 2 million households receiving 3,000 baht each.
This money is not part of the compensation for farmers whose farmlands have been damaged and livestock killed by floods, as it will be provided separately by other agencies, such as the Interior Ministry.
The remaining 1.7 billion baht will be used to stimulate the economy once the flood situation improves.
This money will be used to fund campaigns that have proven to be successful during the Covid-19 crisis, such as the travel subsidy scheme “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) and the co-payment shopping scheme “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves).
Chalermphol said the bureau decided not to allocate a large sum for flood compensation as this portion would focus only on flood affected households and not reparations for flood damages.
During early 2023, agencies can allocate the annual budget they receive for flood damage to repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure in their areas, he said.
Chalermphol added that the reason why economic stimulation campaigns must use money from the central budget of fiscal 2023 is because the bureau could no longer use money that had been borrowed to tackle the Covid-19 crisis, as the emergency loan decrees stipulated that no money from loans could be disbursed after September 30.
