Govt to launch family card pilot scheme on 10 March; Tk2,500 monthly for selected families

The government will launch the pilot phase of the family card scheme on 10 March, under which selected families will receive Tk2,500 per month in cash support.

Social Welfare Minister AZM Zahid Hossain said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the pilot distribution, and the first month’s assistance will be credited to beneficiaries’ mobile wallets or bank accounts immediately after the launch.

In the first phase, 6,500 families in 13 wards across the country will receive QR-based digital smart family cards.

The government has allocated about Tk2.11 crore for the first month’s payments and pilot implementation costs.

The number of beneficiaries will be increased to 20 million in phases.

The Ministry of Social Welfare has prepared a draft titled “Family Card Piloting Implementation Guidelines, 2026,” detailing the scheme.

The guideline sets a target to raise the country’s social security budget to 3% of GDP by 2028.

It also states that the government will work to transform the family card into a universal social ID card for all citizens by 2030.

Zahid Hossain said there would be no discrimination or party favouritism in distributing the cards. The selected areas for the pilot include Korail slum in Dhaka; ward 4 or 5 of Pangsha upazila in Rajbari; ward 4 of Patiya upazila in Chattogram; ward 1 or 2 of Bancharampur upazila in Brahmanbaria; ward 2 or 3 of Lama upazila in Bandarban; ward 10 of Khalishpur upazila in Khulna; ward 1 or 4 of Charfesson upazila in Bhola; ward 5 or 6 of Derai upazila in Sunamganj; ward 2 or 8 of Bhairab upazila in Kishoreganj; ward 1 of Lalpur upazila in Natore; ward 1 or 2 of Thakurgaon Sadar upazila; and ward 1 of Nawabganj upazila in Dinajpur. Under the draft policy, rural families owning 0.50 acres of homestead and cultivable land or less will be considered eligible, subject to assessment of monthly income and assets to identify poor and ultra-poor households.

To ensure women’s empowerment, the card will be issued in the name of the mother or female head of the household.

Families will be excluded if any member is a regular government employee or pensioner, holds a commercial licence or large business, or owns a car or air conditioner.

Priority will be given to landless, homeless and persons with disabilities, as well as marginalised communities including hijra, Bede and small ethnic groups.

Under the pilot, the Tk2,500 will be transferred from the government treasury through the government-to-person (G2P) system to beneficiaries’ mobile wallets or bank accounts.

Existing TCB cards will be transferred to the family card’s Dynamic Social Registry.

Using the same smart card with OTP verification, beneficiaries will be able to buy food at subsidised prices and later access benefits such as education stipends and agricultural subsidies.

Committees headed by government officials have been formed at upazila, city, union, municipality and ward levels to select beneficiaries.

Local awareness campaigns will be conducted through miking and digital promotion.