Govt to revise safety net list – remove ineligible beneficiaries, add new ones

Infograph: TBS

The government will distribute social safety net allowances based on a revised beneficiary list from the upcoming fiscal year, adding new recipients and removing those who are no longer eligible, according to officials from the Social Welfare Ministry.

They say in FY26, social safety net programmes will expand, adding new initiatives like income-boosting training for widows and persons with disabilities, startup funds, and "Old Person Clubs" for the elderly.

Beneficiaries will also be able to receive allowances through any mobile financial service (MFS) account, instead of just Nagad and bKash.

The ministry has already held two meetings with the Finance Division, General Economics Division, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), BIDS, and the World Bank to discuss amendments to the social safety net policy, Social Welfare Secretary Dr Md Mohiuddin told TBS.

Ministry sources say the new beneficiary list will be finalised before the start of the upcoming fiscal year's first quarter in October.

In 2013, the government introduced four separate policies to implement allowances under the social safety net, including old-age allowance, allowances for widows, abandoned or distressed women, and persons with disabilities, as well as stipends for students with disabilities.

Under the existing rules, the maximum annual income eligibility is Tk10,000 for the old-age allowance, Tk12,000 for the widow and distressed women's allowance, and Tk36,000 per capita for the allowance for persons with disabilities.

A senior official at the Ministry of Social Welfare said the country's socio-economic landscape has changed significantly over the past 12 years.

"Many people now have higher incomes, and some who were previously too young for allowances have since become eligible. On the other hand, some individuals were included in the beneficiary list based on political considerations, despite not meeting the criteria," the official told TBS.

According to officials, the social welfare ministry plans to include one lakh new old-age beneficiaries in FY26.

Besides, an additional 1.25 lakh people will be added under the widow and abandoned women categories, and around 2.16 lakh new beneficiaries under the disability category. Moreover, more than 87,000 people from the hijra, bede, marginalised, and tea worker communities are also expected to be included.

Currently, the government implements social safety net programmes through 140 initiatives under 26 ministries. Under the Ministry of Social Welfare alone, 27 types of allowances are disbursed, including old-age, widow, abandoned women, and disability allowances.

Under 27 programmes run by the ministry, around 1.42 crore people currently receive social safety net benefits. Among them, 60 lakh receive old-age allowance, 27.75 lakh receive allowances under the widow and abandoned women's category, and 32.43 lakh receive disability allowances.

Besides, over 27 lakh people benefit under the women and children affairs ministry, while various ministries run initiatives like school stipends, food aid, agricultural subsidies, and employment schemes targeting the poor, students, farmers, and fishers.

A report by the interim government's task force on economic strategy restructuring notes that nearly 54% of poor and vulnerable households in Bangladesh remain outside the coverage of social protection. Conversely, 62% of households currently receiving benefits are neither poor nor at risk.

How new beneficiaries will be included 

Since FY24, the social welfare ministry has been accepting applications for social safety net benefits through an online system. Applicants are selected based on a Proxy Means Test (PMT), which filters eligible beneficiaries using socio-economic data.

The ministry stated that over 35 lakh applicants will now be screened to identify new beneficiaries.

In addition, field-level verification by the Department of Social Services will be carried out, and new beneficiaries will be added subject to approval by union and upazila-level committees.

How ineligible beneficiaries will be removed

To identify ineligible recipients currently on the list, the social welfare ministry will use National ID numbers to verify key information. The Department of Social Services has appointed tag officers at the field level to conduct on-the-ground verification of at least 10 data points.

The department maintains 50 types of data on each beneficiary. In addition to digital verification, information collected by field officers will also be used to exclude ineligible individuals from the programme.

At a press briefing on 6 October at the Secretariat, Social Welfare Adviser Sharmin S Murshid stated that a survey report from UNICEF revealed significant flaws in the current system. According to the report, 43% of those receiving social protection benefits were not actually eligible.

Initiative to boost incomes, establish clubs for elderly 

The World Bank will provide $75 million for a project to be launched in June, which will offer training to widows and persons with disabilities and provide startup funds of Tk50,000 each to help them launch small businesses. The project aims to train 50,000 women and people with disabilities.

Additionally, "Old Person Clubs" will be set up in local communities under this initiative. These clubs will provide facilities for elderly citizens to read newspapers, play indoor games, and access basic health services such as blood pressure and blood sugar testing.

Allowance payments to be deposited into any MFS account 

Beneficiaries of the government's social safety net programmes will now be able to receive their allowances through any mobile financial service (MFS) account of their choice.

Until now, the payments were limited to accounts with only two providers – Nagad and bKash. With the new decision, beneficiaries can opt for other MFS providers as well.

Social Welfare Secretary Dr Md Mohiuddin said the move aims to ensure equal access and convenience for all recipients.

However, a ministry official noted that the decision also came in response to operational issues with Nagad and a request from Islami Bank.