The government is set to roll out a raft of measures designed to ease the rising cost of living and boost the economy, including lower electricity and diesel prices, a debt moratorium for farmers and small-and-medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs), and fortnightly salaries for government officials.
Speaking after the cabinet’s first meeting, government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin assigned Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga to devise measures to reduce electricity bills and energy prices as quickly as possible to help ease people’s plight and boost the business sector’s
competitiveness.
Mr Srettha, who concurrently serves as Finance Minister, also instructed Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat to set up a panel working on a debt moratorium for farmers and SMEs affected by Covid-19.
The measures must be presented for cabinet consideration within 14 days, the spokesman said.
The PM also told Mr Julapun to come up with details of the 10,000-baht digital money handout scheme and present them to cabinet swiftly, Mr Chai said.
He added the Finance Ministry will work with the Budget Bureau, the National Economic and Social Development Council and other agencies to roll out measures to stimulate the economy.
The spokesman said the cabinet also ordered the Comptroller General’s Department to study measures to boost liquidity for government officials and such measures are set to take effect by Jan 1.Government officials now will receive salaries fortnightly, instead of monthly.
Regarding the salary payment policy, Mr Srettha said: “This will specifically save junior government officials from depending on loans, because they will not have to wait so long for their salaries.”
Some public servants already have spoken out against the measures on social media, though they will have time to get their finances in order first.Source: Bangkok Post