The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) has offered to upskill holders of its Pracharath welfare cards to help them escape the poverty trap.
Charnkrit Detwithak, a spokesman for the party's election strategy committee, said party leader and prime ministerial candidate Gen Prawit Wongsuwon prioritises bread-and-butter issues and the need to spur the economy.
The PPRP's economic team has formulated campaign policies around the assistance given to low-income earners. Along with welfare card holders receiving 700 baht a month, they will be issued life insurance worth 200,000 baht free of charge, he said.
The cardholders will also be able to access occupational training. Upon completing the training, they will be eligible for a grant of 30,000 baht per person to start their own business.
Mr Charnkrit said the cardholders will acquire work skills that guarantee job security and improve their standard of living. Armed with these, they will be able to earn more money to keep up with the rising cost of living and free themselves from the poverty trap.
"The party has opened up opportunities for those in the low-income bracket to acquire the equipment and know-how to get a stable job," he said.
He said the party intends to put its money where its mouth is in order to tackle poverty in a sustainable fashion.
Undecided voters urged
The Pheu Thai Party is calibrating its campaign strategy to engage with voters more as the general election enters its last lap.
The party is tapping into undecided voters by reaching out and communicating campaign messages directly to them, according to Phuangphet Chunla-iad, chairwoman of the party's political coordination panel for Bangkok.
She explained that the party's MP candidates will speak at intersections where motorists will be able to listen to the party's policies while waiting for the red light.
The intersection campaign is being adopted in Nong Khaem, Bang Bon, Chom Thong, Don Muang, Phra Khanong, Bang Kholaem and Yannawa districts.
The party was also intensifying its door-knocking strategy as opinion polls found many voters living at home and in condos were undecided about who they will vote for on May 14.
She added the party will mount the campaign more frequently during weekday mornings before people set off for work. This will ensure the voters receive the party's campaign messages.
Southward bound
The United Thai Nation (UTN) Party says it is paying special attention to the South as the election nears, as this is where Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha enjoys high popularity.
Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, chief strategist for the UTN's southern constituencies, said on Tuesday the party plans to launch a major public relations campaign and capitalise on this in the week leading up to the election.
He said Gen Prayut has high approval ratings after leading campaign rallies in those provinces.
Even candidates who have defected from the Democrat Party, which has traditionally dominated the South, say the UTN's popularity there has exceeded expectations, Mr Thanakorn claimed.
