Bangkok: Thailand's new co-payment campaign, "Thai Chuay Thai Plus," saw a smooth rollout on its first day on Monday, recording over 1 billion baht in spending with no reported system disruptions.
According to Thai News Agency, the co-payment scheme subsidizes daily purchases for registered citizens, with the government covering 60% of the cost and the user paying 40%. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, alongside Krungthai Bank President Payong Srivanich, visited Thonburi Market in Bangkok on Monday morning to observe the launch.
Some citizens requested the government increase the monthly subsidy ceiling from 1,000 baht to 1,500 baht, citing that the current daily spending limits are too restrictive. Ekniti explained that the scheme was introduced to help reduce the public's cost of living, which has risen due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. During the visit, Ekniti tested the application by purchasing goods and praised its ease of use. Payong reported high initial engagement, noting that within the first three hours of the launch, nearly 900,000 users conducted 1.1 million transactions, totaling 170 million baht.
By 5:00 p.m., total spending under the program had reached 1.08 billion baht, according to the Fiscal Policy Office. Of this amount, the government contributed nearly 630 million baht, while citizens paid around 455 million baht.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also promoted the launch on social media, urging eligible citizens to utilize the 60/40 co-payment benefit starting June 1.