PM launches 'Family Card' tomorrow

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the government's landmark "Family Card" programme tomorrow, aimed at strengthening women's empowerment and ensuring their rights, dignity and economic independence.

The inauguration ceremony will be held at the T&T playground in Banani (adjacent to the Korail slum) at 10:00am tomorrow.

The initiative is part of the government's commitment to achieving national development and social justice by empowering women and recognising them as the heads of families in social protection programmes.

Under the pilot phase, the programme is being implemented in 15 wards across 13 city corporations and unions in 13 districts of the country, Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain, MP, said at a press conference at the Multipurpose Hall of the Ministry of Finance today, convened on the eve of the launch of the programme.

Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Adviser to the Prime Minister Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, State Minister for LGRD Mir Shahe Alam, and concerned secretaries were present, among others.

The ward committees conducted door-to-door surveys, collecting data on the socio-economic conditions of households, including family size, education, housing conditions, household assets (such as televisions, refrigerators, computers and mobile phones), and remittance flows.

The collected data were verified by union and upazila committees before finalising the beneficiary list.

During the pilot phase, information on 67,854 women-headed households was collected across the country, he added.

Zahid said that using a software-based Proxy Means Test (PMT), households were classified into categories such as extreme poor, poor, lower-middle-income, middle-income and affluent groups.

Out of 51,805 households initially identified as extreme poor, poor and lower-middle-income, verification found 47,777 households with valid data. After removing cases involving multiple benefits, government employment or pension entitlements, 37,567 women-headed households were finally selected for assistance.

Officials said the automated PMT-based system minimises the possibility of corruption, nepotism or manual interference in selecting beneficiaries.

Under the programme, each eligible household will receive a modern "Family Card" equipped with a contactless chip, QR code and NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, ensuring security, durability and ease of use.

Each card will cover up to five members of a household, while larger joint families may receive multiple cards proportionately.

During the pilot phase, selected beneficiaries will receive a monthly allowance of Tk2,500, and the government may later consider providing equivalent food assistance.

However, families will not be eligible if any member receives a salary, allowance or pension from government, autonomous or state-owned institutions. Households with commercial licences, large businesses, luxury assets such as cars or air conditioners, or savings certificates worth Tk500,000 or more will also be excluded.

The allowance will be transferred directly to beneficiaries through the Government-to-Person (G2P) digital payment system, credited to the women's mobile wallets or bank accounts, enabling them to receive support without delay or intermediaries.

For the pilot implementation until June 2026, the government has allocated Tk38.07 crore, of which Tk25.15 crore (66.06%) will be distributed as direct cash support and Tk12.92 crore (33.94%) will be used for programme implementation, including data collection, development of the online system and card production.

The Family Card Pilot Implementation Guideline-2026 has already been prepared and uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Social Welfare.

The Social Welfare Minister said the government's new "Family Card" programme will be provided completely free of cost and will not involve any financial transaction.

Zahid Hossain said the Family Card programme will initially be launched on a pilot basis. The government will review the programme every month, with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social Welfare jointly conducting the evaluation process.

He said the government has set a three-month period for "lesson learning", which will continue until June 30. During this period, the authorities will assess the strengths and weaknesses of the programme and take corrective measures where necessary before expanding it further.

He also clarified that beneficiaries will not have to collect the cards from any office. Instead, government officials will deliver the cards directly to the beneficiaries at their homes.

He said the data collection process began on February 23 and officials from the concerned departments have been working tirelessly to ensure the successful implementation of the programme. The initiative has been given priority by the government so that the pilot launch can be conducted smoothly.

Zahid Hossain also thanked members of the media for raising public awareness about the programme and urged them to continue their cooperation.

He requested journalists to bring any irregularities or anomalies, if they occur, to light so that the authorities can address them promptly and prevent misuse.

He said beneficiaries will be able to lodge complaints both online and offline if they face any problems, such as delays in receiving funds or other service-related issues, as the programme's software system includes a complaint management facility.

The data has been carefully analysed to avoid duplication and prevent any misuse, manipulation or irregularities in the programme, he said.

Zahid Hossain expressed hope that, with the continued cooperation of the media and other stakeholders, the programme will be implemented in a transparent manner to successfully reach marginalised families across the country.