During the Back to School season, the government's "Half-Price Plus" campaign is making a comeback to help the public once again.

The government is preparing to launch a new "Half-Price Plus" program in mid-2026. The program will require new registration and is expected to involve co-payment between the government and the public (with a projected 60% government contribution) to stimulate consumption.

Simultaneously, the government is authorizing a 400 billion baht loan to prepare for the global economic and energy crisis. The government is proceeding with domestic borrowing in installments to prevent public debt from rising. The administration aims to use 200 billion baht for crisis management and another 200 billion baht for SME, Start-up, and other projects.

The spending of the borrowed funds will be strictly scrutinized by a loan screening committee, with five main areas of focus:

1. Targeted Relief: Focusing on providing relief to those directly affected. Both citizens and businesses: 2. Transition: Restructure energy, reduce imports, and switch to renewable energy. 3. Transform: Reform the Thai economy to be stronger than before after overcoming the crisis. 4. Transparency: Emphasize transparency, using technology to disclose project information for public scrutiny. 5. Collaboration: Integrate work with the private sector.

The public and the opposition will have to closely monitor the government's spending to see how much is wasted or how much liquidity it provides to the country.

But one thing is certain: those who work hard to make ends meet, salaried employees, SMEs, and startups shouldn't expect too much from the government's various campaigns.

In this era, self-reliance is key because the global and Thai situations are changing daily.

The best approach is to follow the example of King Rama IX, living a life of sufficiency, managing daily and long-term expenses wisely, so that one can sustainably navigate various storms with oneself, one's family, and one's business...