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The Interior and Energy ministries, and other agencies, have been instructed to find ways to rein in the rising cost of living especially as electricity charges are set to climb by about eight per cent next month, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Thursday.
Ms Yingluck said she was worried about the cost of household electricity and water. The government would look for ways to help households cope, especially those with low incomes.
She said domestic fuel prices were high this year mainly because of the rise in global oil prices, which are outside the government's control.
The Energy Regulatory Committee yesterday announced that household electricity rates were set to increase by an average seven to eight per cent starting next month, due to the three per cent increase in gas prices.
The electricity fuel tariff charge (FT) for May to August will rise by 30 satang per unit, putting electricity rates at an all-time high. Average prices will rise to 3.8 baht per kilowatt hour from the current 3.5 baht a unit.
Meanwhile, Bangkok Poll reported leading economists believe the Thai economy in the second quarter of the year will improve over the first quarter and that the outlook is brighter over the next three to six months.
The Research Centre at Bangkok University, or Bangkok Poll, conducted a survey on "confidence index of economists on Thai economy over the next three to six months" from April 22 to 25. The pollsters questioned 60 economists from the country's leading economic agencies.
Bangkok Poll reported that the economists' overall confidence in the present economy stood at 47.31 points but still below 50, reflecting the fact that the respondents thought the Thai economy was still weak.
However, when compared with results of the poll it carried out in the first quarter of the year, the economic outlook had improved by 18.90. The improvement was seen in all key economic mobilisers, particularly tourism and post-flood investment in the private sector, it said.
The confidence in the economy over the next three months of the respondents was 62.44 and 68.24 for the next six months. Both indices were well above 50 level, showing that the polled economists were confident that the economy would be better over those periods, Bangkok Poll said.
Key factors that would boost the economy were the government's post-flood spending and investment to rebuild the country, the increase in exports and the expansion in the tourism sector.
Ms Yingluck said she was worried about the cost of household electricity and water. The government would look for ways to help households cope, especially those with low incomes.
She said domestic fuel prices were high this year mainly because of the rise in global oil prices, which are outside the government's control.
The Energy Regulatory Committee yesterday announced that household electricity rates were set to increase by an average seven to eight per cent starting next month, due to the three per cent increase in gas prices.
The electricity fuel tariff charge (FT) for May to August will rise by 30 satang per unit, putting electricity rates at an all-time high. Average prices will rise to 3.8 baht per kilowatt hour from the current 3.5 baht a unit.
Meanwhile, Bangkok Poll reported leading economists believe the Thai economy in the second quarter of the year will improve over the first quarter and that the outlook is brighter over the next three to six months.
The Research Centre at Bangkok University, or Bangkok Poll, conducted a survey on "confidence index of economists on Thai economy over the next three to six months" from April 22 to 25. The pollsters questioned 60 economists from the country's leading economic agencies.
Bangkok Poll reported that the economists' overall confidence in the present economy stood at 47.31 points but still below 50, reflecting the fact that the respondents thought the Thai economy was still weak.
However, when compared with results of the poll it carried out in the first quarter of the year, the economic outlook had improved by 18.90. The improvement was seen in all key economic mobilisers, particularly tourism and post-flood investment in the private sector, it said.
The confidence in the economy over the next three months of the respondents was 62.44 and 68.24 for the next six months. Both indices were well above 50 level, showing that the polled economists were confident that the economy would be better over those periods, Bangkok Poll said.
Key factors that would boost the economy were the government's post-flood spending and investment to rebuild the country, the increase in exports and the expansion in the tourism sector.
