Welfare Card Appeal Deadline Extended Amid Public Criticism

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered an extension to the appeal period for applicants rejected from the state welfare card program. He also instructed government agencies to establish dedicated appeal centers and deploy mobile survey teams to make the process more accessible. The move comes amid mounting public criticism over screening criteria that have left some low-income households excluded despite claims of genuine hardship. Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said Mr Anutin issued the instructions during Tuesday's cabinet meeting, ordering the Interior Ministry to designate locations where unsuccessful applicants can lodge appeals. For those unable to travel, officials will be dispatched to conduct field surveys and verify eligibility. The government also plans to expand access to appeal services beyond existing channels. Applicants can seek help through Krungthai Bank, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives and the Department of Land Transport (DLT). Under the new arrangements, district offices will also accept appeals and organise mobile units to visit villages. The premier also instructed the DLT to examine whether legal exemptions could be introduced to ease the burden on applicants. These include waiving fees for verifying vehicle ownership records or resolving long-expired vehicle registrations, which currently require the payment of accumulated taxes and penalties before records can be cancelled. Mr Siripong said some changes would require amendments to existing legislation and a restructuring of the vehicle registration system. The Finance Ministry had postponed transferring around six million unsuccessful applicants to the "Thais Help Thais Plus" co-payment programme while it reviews eligibility criteria, including rules relating to vehicle ownership, in line with the prime minister's instructions. Revised proposals will be submitted to the cabinet next week, he said. "Those who have been ruled ineligible should wait for the Finance Ministry's review of the criteria," Mr Siripong said. "Those who have not yet lodged an appeal have not forfeited their rights because the cabinet decision has been deferred." He said the review was intended to verify eligibility rather than shift the burden onto applicants, describing it as an opportunity to improve the accuracy of government records. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said the government welcomed public feedback and was reviewing the programme to ensure assistance reached genuinely impoverished people. The latest registration added 2.3 million people who had previously been excluded because no new enrolment had been conducted for four to five years. At the same time, the government was attempting to prevent abuse of the scheme after receiving complaints in previous years that some ineligible recipients had obtained benefits. While acknowledging that stricter screening may have inadvertently excluded some genuinely poor households, Mr Ekniti said authorities would review disputed cases through one-stop service centres coordinated by the Interior Ministry.