Mr Pichai, 75, who has been Mr Srettha’s adviser, was the chair of the board of Bangchak Corp, a post he had held since 2012. He headed the board of the Stock Exchange of Thailand for less than three months this year and was on the central bank board from 2014 to 2017.
The state planning agency in February cut its 2024 economic growth forecast to between 2.2 per cent and 3.2 per cent from a previous 2.7-3.7 per cent projection. The government, rejecting that criticism, is forging ahead with the scheme, although the central bank recommends it be targeted only towards vulnerable groups.