Family Card: Official launch on 16 August, to reach 16m families in 4 years
Following the completion of its pilot phase, the government will formally launch the Family Card programme on 16 August. It plans to bring 16 million (1.6 crore) families under the scheme over the next four years. The government says beneficiaries' information will be updated regularly to ensure that assistance reaches those who are genuinely poor.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the programme on 16 August in Ward No. 8 of Latifabad Union in Kishoreganj Sadar upazila. The scheme will then be rolled out gradually across all upazilas and unions nationwide by the end of October.
Social Welfare Minister AZM Zahid Hossain disclosed the information to journalists today, Thursday after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on the Family Card programme, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury at the Secretariat.
The social welfare minister said the government plans to bring around 16 million families under the family card programme within four years, although the number may increase further based on data collection and assessment.
He said the family card programme would operate through a dynamic social registry, with information updated regularly to reflect changes in people's socio-economic circumstances. As a result, if a family moves from poverty to lower-middle-income or middle-income status, or falls back into poverty that change will also be reflected in the registry.
The minister said information would be verified at the union level to ensure that no genuine beneficiary is left out and no ineligible person is included. The government's objective is to improve transparency by addressing existing weaknesses in the distribution of allowances and Family Cards.
He added that no one would be favoured or excluded on the basis of religion, ethnicity or political identity. The programme is being implemented in line with the government's commitment to building an inclusive and humane state.
The social welfare minister said financial assistance would be provided to women in each household, as experience shows they are more likely to spend the money on children's education, nutrition and healthcare, as well as on poultry rearing, tree planting, cottage industries, sewing and small business activities.
He said the programme would help empower women while also contributing to poverty reduction in rural areas.
He also said the pilot project, conducted in 56 areas, had produced positive results. Although some problems were identified during data collection in two areas of Jashore and Netrokona, those issues have since been addressed. No significant problems were found in the remaining 54 areas, where the error rate was below three per cent.
Officials said that from 16 August, data collection would begin fully online using a new questionnaire and methodology. The information will then be updated every month so that deaths, changes in socio-economic conditions and other developments can be incorporated into the registry promptly.
The social welfare minister said a three-tier monitoring system would be introduced to ensure transparency. At the union level, first-class government officials will supervise data collection.
Separate committees will operate at the upazila level under the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), at the district level under the Deputy Commissioner, and at the divisional level under the Divisional Commissioner.
There will also be a national-level committee chaired by the finance minister. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will personally monitor the programme's progress on a regular basis, he added.
The minister also said that the Cabinet Division and the Ministry of Finance would verify the information to ensure that the same individual cannot receive multiple allowances or benefits.
Independent evaluations will also be carried out by the Finance Division, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), and local and international universities to assess the programme's actual impact on poverty reduction, he added.