Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister AZM Zahid Hossain has said that family cards will not be distributed on political considerations.
He emphasised that family cards will not be issued on political grounds and that there will be no middlemen in the distribution process.
The minister made the remarks on Thursday while responding to journalists after a meeting at the Secretariat chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
He also mentioned that existing allowances will continue even after the introduction of family cards.
Meanwhile, Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Aminur Rashid told journalists that the meeting discussed how quickly the family card programme could be launched.
He said, “We decided to try to start it on a pilot basis before the upcoming Eid. Within a couple of days, we will finalise how much can be done, how fast, and how many beneficiaries will be included.”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan added that family cards will first be given to the ultra-poor.
“We have not yet decided exactly how many people in which districts will receive them. But some areas have already been fixed based on previous surveys. Several upazilas in different districts were identified beforehand,” he explained.
When asked about the benefits of the family card, he said, “We are planning to provide cash support, especially cash allowances for women.”
