The new government has moved quickly to begin implementing its election manifesto, with plans to pilot a nationwide welfare card scheme before Eid, revive canal excavation programmes, and launch an ambitious tree-planting initiative.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chaired a series of inter-ministerial meetings at the Secretariat on Thursday, marking his second day in office there following the formation of his government.
The meetings, held in the Cabinet Division conference room, focused on finalising action plans to translate electoral commitments into policy.
Ministers and state ministers from multiple ministries attended the discussions, which began at 10:00am and continued until 4:00pm.
At the centre of the government’s early agenda is the introduction of a universal “family card”, a key campaign pledge aimed at strengthening social protection. Officials said the scheme would be introduced experimentally before Eid as a pilot project.
Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo told reporters that detailed discussions had taken place on how to implement the programme.
He said the government intends to make the family card universal, beginning with the ultra-poor, followed by poor and middle-income households in phases.
“This was a widely publicised commitment in our manifesto,” he said. “A committee has been formed, and the programme will begin on a pilot basis before Eid.”
Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said a committee led by the finance minister would finalise the operational framework and identify priority areas for the initial rollout.
He said the government was planning the scheme with the long-term objective of covering approximately five crore families nationwide.
“The amount of financial support has not yet been determined,” he said. “But beyond the financial component, bringing women across the country under the family card system is one of the government’s key priorities. The programme will be strengthened gradually over time.”
He added that preparations were under way to begin distribution this month, ahead of Eid.
Alongside welfare measures, the government is also prioritising water management and agricultural resilience through a nationwide canal excavation programme.
Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie said the initiative would begin soon, with visible progress expected within 180 days of launch. He said a final decision on the start date would be taken within a week.
He noted that canal excavation had previously been elevated into a major national initiative under former President Ziaur Rahman, and that the current government intended to revive and expand the programme.
“The prime minister emphasised canal excavation repeatedly in the election manifesto,” he said. “Through re-excavation, we aim to restore water flow and ensure people benefit from improved irrigation and water management.”
He said four ministries—water resources, local government, agriculture, and disaster management—would coordinate to implement the programme. However, priority regions for initial excavation have yet to be determined.
Environmental protection and climate resilience have also emerged as key early priorities.
Mintoo said the government would begin a nationwide afforestation drive in May, with plans to plant 25 crore trees over the next five years, in line with the party’s manifesto commitments.
The initiative aims to plant five crore trees annually. While acknowledging that the first year’s target may fall slightly short due to timing constraints, he said the shortfall would be compensated in subsequent years.
Priority areas for plantation include coastal embankments, riverbanks, char lands, roadsides, hill tracts, mangrove zones and saline-prone regions.
Taken together, the initiatives signal an effort by the new administration to rapidly convert electoral promises into visible policy actions, with welfare expansion, environmental restoration and agricultural infrastructure forming the cornerstone of its early governing agenda.
