Family Card scheme to be launched on 16 Aug
The government will officially launch the Family Card programme on August 16 following the successful completion of its pilot phase, Social Welfare Minister AZM Zahid Hossain said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the programme at Latibabad Union in Kishoreganj Sadar upazila, the minister told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on the Family Card programme at the Ministry of Finance.
The meeting was chaired by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
Zahid said the scheme would be expanded in phases to all unions and upazilas across the country by the end of October.
The government aims to bring around 1.60 crore families under the programme over the next four years, he added.
Pilot projects were carried out in 56 areas before the nationwide rollout. Minor data collection problems were identified in Jashore and Kalmakanda of Netrokona, but those issues have since been resolved, the minister said.
The remaining 54 pilot projects were completed successfully, with fraudulent cases accounting for less than 3 percent.
Zahid described the programme as a dynamic social registry-based scheme under which beneficiary information would be regularly updated based on changes in families’ socio-economic conditions.
“If a family moves out of poverty or falls back into financial hardship, the registry will be updated accordingly,” he said.
Public hearings will be held at the union level after data collection to ensure transparency and accurate beneficiary selection.
The information will also be reviewed every month so eligible families can be included and ineligible recipients removed.
The minister said beneficiaries would be selected solely on the basis of eligibility, without discrimination based on religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.
He said the government’s objective was not limited to providing financial assistance but also included helping beneficiary families become self-reliant.
Women in recipient households will be encouraged to use the support for children’s education, nutrition and healthcare, as well as income-generating activities such as poultry farming, tree plantation, tailoring, cottage industries and small businesses.
“This initiative will strengthen women’s economic empowerment while contributing to poverty reduction in rural areas,” Zahid said.
The programme’s impact will be monitored through independent evaluations involving the Finance Division, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division and researchers from local and international universities.
An initial impact assessment may be conducted within six months of the launch, the minister said.
A three-tier monitoring mechanism has been established to oversee data collection, verification and approval.
Separate committees will operate at the union, upazila, district, divisional and national levels, while upazila nirbahi officers, deputy commissioners and the Cabinet Committee will supervise implementation.
Beneficiary data will be cross-checked with the Finance Ministry and other relevant agencies to prevent individuals from receiving multiple social benefits, ensuring greater transparency, accountability and technology-based management.
