Natcha, a People’s Party MP, condemned the government for cutting 1.954 billion baht from the Ministry of Social Development’s budget, slashing emergency allowances and elderly home repairs while increasing funds for computer purchases, electric train rentals, and constructing new buildings.
At 12:00 PM on 30 June 2026 at the Parliament building, Natcha Boonchai-insawat, a People’s Party party-list MP, debated the 2027 fiscal year budget bill, focusing on the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security’s overall budget. He said basic social welfare was cut in many areas, such as child subsidies reduced by about 800 million baht, with poor children being overlooked and underserved; disability allowances promised to increase from 800 to 1,000 baht lacked details; and elderly allowances have not increased since 2011 despite rising budgets and an aging society.
Natcha added that the ministry’s budget was cut by 1.954 billion baht, raising questions about how it can operate. Every office and department faced cuts, some over half their budgets. These funds are crucial since the ministry supports many people’s lives, preventing them from falling through the cracks, yet nearly 2 billion baht have vanished.
He observed that only personnel budgets increased, by 193 million baht. While some argue personnel budgets cannot be cut due to career growth needs, he disagreed. Looking at operational budgets supporting personnel totaling 373 million baht, he said reductions were possible in areas like contracting operational staff (154 million baht), contracted services (199 million baht), and overtime meals (18 million baht), which was already cut from 73 million baht. He noted that the urgent social welfare center’s overtime meal budget dropped from 53 million baht last year to 1 million baht this year, confirming further cuts are feasible.
Additionally, Natcha noted questionable budget items such as a 5-year, 263 million baht contract to rent electric trains despite a 106 million baht purchase of fuel trucks last year, and 283 million baht allocated for computers after buying 140 million baht worth last year. Meanwhile, essential direct public support budgets were cut: basic expenses for care facilities from 7 million to 1 million baht; emergency aid of 3,000 baht per person cut from 204 million to 150 million baht; elderly home repairs reduced from over 10,000 to 5,000 houses; women’s labor subsidies from 5.7 million to 2.4 million baht; the Community Organizations Development Institute’s budget from 1.814 billion to 1.396 billion baht; and the National Housing Authority from 1.008 billion to 546 million baht. This shows public budgets were cut while agency budgets for purchases rose.
Natcha also highlighted suspicious budget allocations like the Disability Fund, responsible only for loans and grants, having a management cost of 649 million baht. The Personnel Capacity Development Project received 54 million baht, a 115% increase, with 48 million already spent on building construction. The ministry also budgeted 5.5 million baht for course development despite no funds for direct public aid. Another key ministry role is supporting social workers, yet only 1.4 million baht is allocated, a low amount maintained for years, hindering social workers’ effectiveness and pushing people to rely on social media influencers instead. He proposed the ministry shift from executing all tasks directly to designing and supervising systems that distribute management efficiently and widely for maximum effectiveness.
In conclusion, Natcha said that although the ministry’s budget cuts appear severe on the surface, the details raise questions about appropriateness and whether funds will effectively aid citizens in 2027. Amid the country’s overlapping crises, he urged close and serious attention to ensure budget allocation is efficient and yields the best outcomes.