Govt approves Tk140 crore grant for private orphanages

The government has allocated Tk140.11 crore as the second instalment of the official grant for the fiscal year 2025-26 to meet up the cost of food and other basic needs of the children living in private orphanages across the country.

Following the approval of the Ministry of Social Welfare, the fund has been sanctioned for 1,16,759 orphans across 4,209 private orphanages in 64 districts of the country, said an official order.

According to the order, the money was released as the second instalment from the allocation dedicated to the 'Private Orphanage' sector in the FY2025-26 budget.

The sanctioned funds have been placed at the disposal of Social Services Officers and upazila or urban social services offices so that they can distribute the amounts among the orphanages following the prescribed guidelines.

According to sources at the Department of Social Services, a total of Tk280 crore was allocated for the Private Orphanage sector in the current fiscal year. Out of the amount, Tk139.88 crore was disbursed in the first instalment.

With the approval of an additional Tk140.11 crore, virtually the entire allocated budget has now been brought under the distribution process.

Based on the allocation, a six-month grant at a monthly rate of Tk2,000 will be given to each of the 1,16,759 orphan children residing in registered private orphanages.

This means a total of Tk12,000 has been earmarked for each child for the period from January to June 2026. This money will primarily be spent on purchasing food items and meeting the basic requirements of the children.

The Department of Social Services stated that the government has been running this public grant program for a long time to ensure the welfare and protection of orphan children. It creates an opportunity for underprivileged and parentless children to grow up in a safe environment.

The official order further noted that the 'Government Grant Allocation and Distribution Policy-2014' must be strictly followed during the disbursement of the funds.

The concerned social services officers have been instructed to monitor the release and utilisation of the funds according to the rules. It also mentioned that regular monitoring will be conducted at the field level to ensure that the allocated money is spent appropriately.

Officials from the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Department of Social Services expressed hope that the timely distribution of the allocated funds would bring a positive impact on the quality of life for thousands of orphan children across different regions of the country.

Besides, this grant will make a significant contribution to meeting the operational expenses of private orphanages.