The government plans to bring 1.61 crore low-income and vulnerable families under the Family Card programme by the 2029-30 fiscal year as part of a broader social protection initiative.
The government will distribute 41 lakh new Family Cards nationwide in the current 2026-27 fiscal year, while a nationwide household census will be conducted to identify eligible beneficiaries and create a comprehensive digital database.
Social Welfare State Minister Farzana Sharmin disclosed the plan in Parliament on Tuesday while responding on behalf of Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain to a question from Dhaka-18 MP SM Jahangir Hossain.
The state minister said the Department of Social Services has already implemented a pilot project in 55 upazilas across 44 districts, providing allowances through Family Cards to 69,387 women-headed households.
She said information collected from the pilot areas is being regularly updated, and the government will launch a nationwide household census at the beginning of the current fiscal year to gather data on around 4.10 crore families.
Based on the census findings, 1.61 crore families will be included in a modern database and brought under the Family Card system within four years, she said.
Farzana Sharmin said eligible beneficiaries would be selected through field-level surveys and the Proxy Means Test (PMT) scoring system to ensure transparency and prevent irregularities.
She said instructions have already been issued to upazila nirbahi officers to appoint data collectors for the census, while the “Family Card Census Guideline, 2026” has been issued to facilitate the process.
The draft “Family Card Piloting Implementation Guideline, 2026” has also been approved by the cabinet committee and sent to the Department of Printing and Publications for final gazette notification, she added.
Regarding implementation in Dhaka-18 constituency, the state minister said the pilot programme is already underway in parts of Karail, Sat Tala, Bhashantek, Olimiar Tek and Bagan Bari slum areas under Dhaka North City Corporation.
She said Family Cards would be distributed on a wider scale in Uttara and adjoining areas during the current fiscal year after completion of the household census. Ward-wise lists of beneficiaries will later be shared with lawmakers’ offices, she added.
The Family Card initiative was a major social security commitment in the BNP’s election manifesto, which proposed bringing low-income families under a single digital card system to provide government allowances, food support and other welfare benefits.
After the government came to power, the programme was initially launched on a limited scale as a pilot project. Authorities are now working on beneficiary selection, development of a central management information system (MIS) database and nationwide expansion.
