"Aekniti" points out the need to review the "State Welfare Card" to help overhaul the system against fraud and prevent illegal misuse, while emphasizing assistance for the "truly poor"
On 21 July 2026, Mr. Aekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, addressed criticism of the State Welfare Card program that has prompted a reassessment of the criteria. He said the core purpose of the State Welfare Card is to support those truly in poverty. The government has not reviewed it for 4-5 years, covering over 13 million people. Many complaints have arisen about many beneficiaries not actually being poor or being fake poor, so a prompt review is needed.
"The real heart of the matter is that we want to help those in genuine distress. I am very pleased that today we have identified more than 2.3 million new people not previously in the system, all of whom meet the poverty criteria."
The Ministry of Finance is urgently reviewing two issues: one is widespread fraud where people’s information is used without their knowledge to register companies or open stock market accounts. The affected individuals are unaware of this deception. For those truly in distress, the government affirms it will thoroughly review their entitlements and coordinate with the Ministry of Interior to facilitate and assist in the rights review process.
Those truly in distress need not worry — we will definitely take care of them. The State Welfare Card is the only card that supports people who have nothing. Other entitlements, such as for the elderly and the disabled, remain unchanged. Therefore, today we need the State Welfare Card for those who have nothing and are genuinely in need. The government is ready to help.
Regarding complaints that have led the Ministry of Finance to continuously adjust the criteria, he confirmed that listening to public opinion today involves revealing the truth and showing that current data systems are inaccurate. This is considered a system overhaul. People who were deceived must be helped. The policy now is that those in need will receive full support in their rights review.