CPD study missed govt aid to fight COVID-19: Info minister

Information minister Hasan Mahmud has questioned a recent study of Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) claiming that the findings of the research did not reflect the government assistance that covered over one third population of the country amid nationwide shutdown due to COVID-19.

“It is astonishing that the government assistance, currently covering more than one third population of the country, was not reflected in the CPD’s recent study on government’s steps to contain COVID-19,” he said.

Hasan, also ruling Awami League’s joint general secretary, said this while replying to a question from newsmen about the CPD’s study finding that stated there was ‘no incentives for the marginalised people’ amid the nationwide shutdown.

The information minister was talking with the newsmen on the country’s contemporary issues at the AL president’s political office at Dhanmondi in the city on Tuesday evening, said a press release, reports news agency BSS.

Hasan said under a government programme some five million families with lower income, which means about 25 million people, have been receiving 30 kg rice each in a month at Tk 10 per kg for several years. Those families were getting the rice for a period of seven months a year but the authorities are now thinking of extending the time span.

Besides, about 10 million people, including 1.7 million widows, 4.4 million elderly and 1.6 million destitute, are given different allowances under the social safety net programmes, the information minister said.

He added that sufficient relief, including a cash of 7.6 billion, has been allocated for the people who lost their jobs due to the virus outbreak.

“All of those assistance meant for marginalised and poor people. But I’m astonished seeing that those government assistances were not projected in the research of an institution like CPD,” the AL joint general secretary said.

Noting that the country’s GDP growth has increased about three and a half times while per capita income and purchasing capacity of the people also have increased about three folds in the last 11 years, Hasan said but it is a matter of regret that CPD could not laud the development.

“So, the statement that there were ‘no incentives for the marginalised people’ is just a traditional statement of the institution as it is their habit to find out faults (of the government),” he added.

At the beginning of his speech, the information minister greeted the countrymen as well as all newsmen on the occasion of the Bangla New Year.