Staff Reporter :
The government has taken initiatives of selling rice and some other essential food items through Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) among one crore cardholders of the organization to ensure adequate supply of the staple in the market, so that its price can be kept within the purchase capacity of the poor.
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Ukraine-Russia War, price of essential commodities has gone sky-rocketing. In this situation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken initiatives of selling essential products through TCB for the poor and lower income people at reasonable prices. Some 30 lakh tonnes of food grain are distributed every year. If food grain of 6 lakh tonnes for one crore people are distributed through TCB, there will be adequate rice supply in the market and the price would remain under control,” Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said while inaugurating the government’s ‘Rice Selling for One Crore TCB card-holders’ at a programme in Dhaka’s Uttara on Sunday.
Under the programme, country’s one crore TCB card-holders will get five kgs of rice at Tk30 per kg along with the other products of TCB under a package. Under the package, a TCB cardholder will also get two litres of soybean oil at Tk100 per litre, two kgs of lentil at Tk60 per kg and one kg of sugar at Tk70 per kg along with the five kgs rice.
Among others, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Commerce Ministry’s Senior Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh and Food Secretary Ismail Hossain also spoke on the occasion.
Sadhan Chandra Majumder said that the government has also been providing various food supports including Food Friendly Programme (FFP) and special grant for the poor fishers. The people are now getting the benefits of those social safety net programmes the government introduced to lessen the sufferings of the poor and ultra poor people, he added.
Tipu Munshi said that the government is working to include the general people with the government’s social safety net programme including selling of the TCB products. The products are being given in accordance with the directives of the Prime Minister.
“One crore people are getting the rice under the TCB programme. Indirectly some five crore people are getting its benefits. It will help the government to keep the commodity price under control,” he added.
According to TCB, a total of one crore lower income people across the country will get the benefit. The dealers of TCB will conduct their selling activities at all districts, metropolitan cities, upazila, municipalities, unions and ward levels.
