Social welfare plans get Bt3-bn boost
The Cabinet yesterday approved a budget of Bt3 billion a year for a five-year strategy to develop social welfare for Thai society, the Social Devel-opment and Human Security Minis-ter Paiboon Wattanasiritham said.
The Cabinet approved the 2007-2012 strategy proposed by the National Commission on Social Welfare - chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula - and agreed to allocate a budget of Bt3 billion a year through the Thai Social Welfare Promotion Fund, he said. For the first stage, the Cabinet also approved Bt500 million to mobilise existing resources and to carry out topic-oriented operations - determined by local communities - such as the reduction of lottery draws to lessen people's motivation to buy tickets and a campaign to reduce alcohol consumption at funerals, he said. Seventy five per cent of the Bt500 million would be given to local administration organisations and 25 per cent to the central administration, he said. Pilot projects would soon be launched in Chanthaburi, Lampang, Khon Kaen and Phatthalung, while the Thai Social Welfare Promotion Fund board will hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss the strategy.
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