“So far, Family Cards have been distributed among 37,814 families, and the government plans to expand the programme gradually across the country over the next four years,” he says.
File Photo of family card. Photo: BSS
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File Photo of family card. Photo: BSS
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said another 30,000 families will be brought under the government’s Family Card programme within the next three months.
“So far, Family Cards have been distributed among 37,814 families, and the government plans to expand the programme gradually across the country over the next four years,” he said while responding to a question from MP ABM Mosharraf Hossain during the question-answer session of the Parliament today (1 April).
Tarique noted that the programme was launched on 10 March in 15 wards of three city areas across 13 districts.
The prime minister also said the Family Card programme would play a key role in ensuring women’s empowerment. “The initiative is designed to strengthen social security through a modern digital system and to support the development of families rather than individuals.”
According to him, although more than 95 social safety net programmes are currently in operation, poverty has not decreased significantly over the years, while nutrition and health outcomes have not improved as expected.
He said research and observations suggest that financial support is more effectively spent on food, healthcare and nutrition when it is provided to female members of the family. “For this reason, the government has decided to issue family cards in the name of the main female member of each household.”
The prime minister further said the initiative would help increase women’s financial control, participation in family decision-making and overall social status, thereby accelerating women’s empowerment across the country.
