The government’s Center for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) has approved measures to reduce the cost of living, with a focus on helping street vendors, while adding We Travel Together privileges and providing civil servants, state employees and state enterprise workers with an extra two-days of leave.
The Deputy Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), Danucha Pichayanan, said the CESA meeting agreed to add three privileges to the We Travel Together program, including a 40 percent discount on hotel stays for 10 nights per person, a tourism coupon worth up to 900 baht a day and a 2,000-baht allowance for air tickets. The meeting also resolved that civil servants and other state workers would be entitled to another two days of leave, if they apply for We Travel Together packages on normal weekdays.
Measures to reduce daily living costs and stimulate consumption were also approved, with further assistance to be given to street vendors. The committee intends to subsidize 50 percent of expenses for particular individuals with a limit of up to 250 baht per day and 3,000 baht per person overall. Some 15 million people are eligible for the aid, along with 80,000 vendors who agree to take part in the program. The 45-billion-baht project will exclude paying for alcohol and tobacco. The Ministry of Finance has been instructed to present a more detailed breakdown to the committee this October.
It was also decided that some 260,000 university graduates will be supported in getting jobs with a salary from 15,000 baht or 9,400 baht for vocational program students. The government is to subsidize 50 percent of salaries or up to 7,500 baht per month for one year from October 1 to September 30 to spur employment. The undertaking is to cost 23 billion baht. A Job Expo, with 1 million openings, is to take place this month to kick start the effort. (NNT)
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