The payments are earmarked for 5.8 million people, excluding farmers who are recipients of a recently approved $1.5 billion rice subsidy. The subsidy has been criticized because it resembles a program for which former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is being tried on grounds of corruption, which she denies.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he hopes the 12.8 billion baht ($361 million) handout measure will help boost the economy.
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