Dhaka, Aug 6 (V7N) - Social Welfare Minister Prof. Dr. A Z M Zahid Hossain has said the government's Family Card programme will be officially launched on August 16 under the 2026–27 fiscal year, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurating it from ward no. 8 of Latifabad union in Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila.
The minister said the government plans to bring 4.1 million beneficiaries under the programme in its first phase, with the aim of expanding coverage to approximately 16 million families over the next four years.
Briefing reporters after a Cabinet Committee meeting on the programme, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Prof. Zahid Hossain said the primary objective is to ensure that social protection benefits reach genuine beneficiaries while promoting transparency and accountability in the selection process. "No eligible person should be left out and no ineligible person should be included in the beneficiary list," he said.
He said beneficiary information will be updated and reviewed regularly to reflect changes in socio-economic conditions. Families that rise above the poverty line will be removed, while newly eligible households will be added accordingly.
The minister said the government intends to develop the Family Card into a dynamic social registry rather than a static database. Strict verification procedures will be followed at the union level, with information verified through local administration, public representatives, and relevant officials. Fresh investigations will be conducted where complaints are received.
He said the government's goal is to establish an accurate, technology-driven, and modern social protection system that reflects changes in people's living conditions through continuous updates to the beneficiary database.
Senior officials from relevant ministries and divisions attended the meeting, where implementation strategies, beneficiary selection, data verification, database management, and field-level monitoring were discussed in detail.
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