Family Card to be launched on pilot basis before Eid: Minister Mintoo
A committee has been formed to implement the Family Card programme. Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury will head the committee.
The government has planned to introduce Family Card on a pilot basis before the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo.
"As far as I know, the prime minister wants to begin it as a pilot project before Eid," he told reporters responding to a question after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat today (19 February).
The minister said the Family Card issue was elaborately mentioned in the ruling party's election manifesto, and today's discussion focused on how to implement the programme.
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Asked how many families would initially receive the card, Mintoo said the programme is intended to be universal and will not have restrictions.
"A committee has been formed. The programme may begin with the ultra-poor, then expand to the poor and later to the middle class in phases," he said.
In a statement, Social Welfare, Women and Children Affairs Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain said, "A committee has been formed to implement the 'Family Card' programme. The financial assistance under the Family Card will be more than double compared to the existing cards and allowance schemes currently in operation in the country."
"However, the ongoing card and allowance programmes will continue, and the new Family Card will be distributed universally," he added.
The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification announcing the formation of a cabinet committee on "Family Card" to protect marginalised and low-income families.
Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury will head the committee.
It will also review the feasibility of distributing Family Cards initially in one upazila from each of the country's eight divisions, and examine whether any existing women-focused programmes can be used as a foundation for the initiative.
In addition, the committee will recommend the development of a digital Management Information System (MIS) by integrating the National Identity Card database with the National Household Database to prepare a comprehensive list of beneficiaries.
An inter-ministerial meeting was held today to finalise the action plan for introducing the Family Card initiative, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the chair.
The meeting took place at the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
Officials from the relevant ministries and divisions attended the meeting to discuss and finalise the implementation strategy for rolling out the Family Card programme.
