BANGKOK, Thailand – Following Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s directive during a recent cabinet meeting, each government ministry has summarized its New Year gifts to the public. The measures are developed to bring joy during the New Year festival, with projects extending into 2025 to benefit the economy, society, technology, agriculture, and livelihoods. Key highlights include:
Ministry of Commerce
-Nationwide Market Points: Over 300 sales locations across 76 provinces under the Economic Recovery Project (December 2024 – January 31, 2025).
-Special Promotions: Discounts on goods and services during the New Year through four e-commerce platforms: Shopee, TikTok Shop, SHIPPOP, and Flash, including franchise discounts of up to 70%.
-“New Year Mega Sale 2025” Campaign: Discounts on over 10,000 items and services nationwide, with discounts exceeding 70% (December 2024 – January 31, 2025).
Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
-Flood Recovery for Farmers: Financial aid of 1,000 baht per rai of land (up to 10 rai or 10,000 baht per household) for rice farmers.
-Fishing Labor Support: Continuous issuance of “Seabooks” for migrant workers and extended fishing permits for commercial fishing license holders during the 2024 fishing season.
-Freshwater Stock Distribution: Release of 1,850,000 aquatic animals in 37 provinces.
-Rabies Vaccination Campaign: Vaccination targeting 500 animals per province, totaling 38,500 animals nationwide.
-Pet Health Checks: Free health checks by the Animal Welfare Division.
-Interest-Free Cooperative Loans: Loans up to 30,000 baht per individual for flood recovery, with a one-year term and no interest.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
-Same-Day Passport Issuance: Available from January 2–17, 2025 (excluding public holidays).
-Mobile Passport Services (“Consular Outreach”): Available nationwide throughout 2025 for provinces without passport offices.
-Expedited Document Legalization: Waiver of express service fees from January 6–17, 2025, at various locations, including the Consular Department in Bangkok and regional passport offices in Phuket, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Ubon Ratchathani, and Pattaya.
Ministry of Social Development and Human Security
-Free Zoo Access: Vulnerable groups under ministry care can visit any of the six zoos operated by the Zoological Park Organization without charge.
-Interest-Free Pawnshop Loans: Up to 5,000 baht per loan ticket with a one-month interest-free period.
-Affordable Housing Discounts: Discounts of 5–20% on housing projects, such as:
-National Housing Projects: Discounts of 12,000–300,000 baht per unit.
-Baan Ua-Athorn Projects: Discounts of 16,000–78,000 baht per unit.
-Community Housing Projects: Discounts of 26,000–126,000 baht (social) and 55,000–450,000 baht (commercial).
-Government Employee Housing Projects (Rent-to-Own): Discounts of approximately 74,500 baht per unit.
Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation
-Upskilling Initiatives: A nationwide program offering over 600 courses across nine skill categories, including:
-Digital, robotics, and AI.
-Business and management.
-Food and nutrition.
-Healthcare and medicine.
-Agriculture and environment.
-Language, culture, and tourism.
-Senior citizen care.
-Life skills and self-development.
-Details are available at www.mhesi.go.th.
Ministry of Interior
-Utility Payment Extensions:
-Electricity: 3-month extension for unpaid bills under 300 baht/month from January 14 to April 13, 2025.
-Water: 15% discount on water meter installation fees for new users (January–April 2025).
-Solar Rooftop Installations: 1,000 households in remote areas without electricity access.
-Property Tax Payment Extensions: Deadline extended by two months for 2025 (January–August 2025).
Ministry of Digital Economy and Society
-DE-fence Platform: A system to prevent fraudulent calls and SMS messages.
-Digital Skills Training: Free digital skills training for 250,000 individuals to reduce the digital divide in rural areas.
-Paperless Government Initiative: Expansion of the e-Document system to 1 million users.
-IT Specialists Program: “One District, One IT Professional” initiative to enhance local digital capacity.
Ministry of Finance
-Easy E-Receipt 2.0: Simplified e-receipt issuance for personal income taxpayers (January 16 – February 28, 2025).
-Elderly Support Payments: One-time payment of 10,000 baht for registered seniors aged 60 and above, starting January 2025.
-Excise Tax Reduction: Reduced excise tax rates for service businesses (from 10% to 5%) throughout 2025.
-Debt Relief Program: Assistance for individual and SME borrowers under banks and non-bank financial institutions.
Ministry of Culture
-New Year Prayer Ceremony: December 31, 2024 – January 1, 2025, at Sanam Luang ceremonial grounds, temples, and Buddhist centers worldwide. Online participation is available at www.prayer2568.weebly.com.
-Free Museum Access: Free entry to all national museums and historical parks across the country from December 31, 2024, to January 1, 2025. (NNT)
