Dhaka, Jun 15 (V7N) — Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has announced that Tk 14,000 crore has been allocated in the national budget for the government’s flagship Family Card programme. He added that an impact assessment will be carried out after six months to review exactly how and where the funds are being utilized, with the beneficiary database scheduled for an update every four years to systematically exclude wealthy individuals.

The Finance Minister made these statements following the fourth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Family Card Distribution held at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday (June 15). The drafted distribution policy operates under the core principle that "the family, not the individual, is the fundamental unit of development."

Emphasizing transparent execution, the Finance Minister assured that rigorous monitoring would be implemented. Crucially, he noted that this marks the first time a major state social safety program will be executed entirely by government officials, with absolutely no political party affiliation involved in the selection or distribution process. A total of 41 million families across the country are slated to be covered under the digital scheme in a phased rollout.

The financial assistance will be systematically disbursed via Sonali Bank’s specialized "Taka Pay" app, allowing cash transfers to go straight into the verified bank or mobile accounts of the beneficiaries. Minister Chowdhury reiterated that the prime challenge of the current budget is to stabilize a fragile economy and steer it toward prosperity so that development benefits reach every tier of society.

Meanwhile, speaking at the same briefing, Social Welfare Minister Dr. A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain revealed that data collection is actively being conducted through rigorous house-to-house surveys. Underscoring the necessity of strict verification, he shared a recent field report from Chittagong where out of six families surveyed, five were identified as Rohingya refugees. However, once National Identity Card (NID) verification was strictly mandated, those ineligible individuals retracted their claims.

The Social Welfare Minister also addressed technological hurdles, noting that some impoverished families face transaction delays because they do not own SIM cards registered under their own names. To resolve this, Dr. Zahid announced that a special provision has been made in the budget to provide free, biometric-registered SIM cards to eligible recipients.

The high-level meeting was also attended by State Minister for Social Welfare Farjana Sharmin, State Minister for LGRD Mir Shahe Alam, and senior secretaries from the Finance, Social Welfare, and Planning divisions.

END/SMA/AJ