Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has launched the distribution of Family Cards aimed at ensuring social safety for low-income households, fulfilling a key electoral pledge of the ruling BNP.
The initiative, themed “Family, not the individual, is the unit of development,” was inaugurated on Tuesday through a distribution event at the Mirpur 4 No Ward Community Center. Cards were handed over to beneficiaries from the Olimirtek and Baganbari slums.
DNCC Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan attended as the chief guest, symbolically distributing cards to 10 beneficiaries.
“What BNP says, BNP does. I had promised that when BNP comes to power, I would personally deliver the Family Card to your hands. Today, I have fulfilled that pledge,” Khan said.
A total of 509 families are initially receiving cards under the program – 117 from Baganbari slum and 392 from Olimirtek slum. The administrator assured that every low-income family in the DNCC area would gradually be brought under the scheme.
He emphasised transparency in the selection process, stating that data collection and verification ensured only deserving families received the cards, free from any political or partisan influence.
Beneficiary Rina Akhtar, a mother of five, expressed her gratitude, saying she plans to use the assistance for her daughter’s education and to start a small business. “We want to become self-reliant,” she said.
Another recipient, Sharmin Akhtar, thanked the prime minister, adding, “We have small hopes. We hope the government will always stand by us.”
The event was attended by senior DNCC officials including Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Asaduzzaman and Chief Social Welfare Officer Mohammad Mamun-ul-Hasan.
