Family Card Programme to Launch Nationwide Aug 16

The government will officially launch the Family Card programme on August 16 following the successful completion of its pilot phase, with a target of bringing around 1.60 crore families under the scheme over the next four years, Social Welfare Minister AZM Zahid Hossain said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the programme in Latibabad Union of Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila. The scheme will then be expanded in phases to all upazilas and unions across the country by the end of October.

The minister disclosed the information after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on the Family Card programme at the Ministry of Finance, chaired by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

He said pilot projects were carried out in 56 locations nationwide. Minor data collection issues were detected in Jashore and Kalmakanda of Netrokona but have since been resolved.

According to the minister, the remaining 54 pilot areas were implemented successfully, with fraudulent cases accounting for less than 3 percent.

Zahid said the Family Card is a dynamic social registry-based programme, allowing beneficiary information to be updated regularly based on changes in their socio-economic conditions.

"If a family moves out of poverty or falls into financial hardship, the registry will be updated accordingly," he said.

To ensure transparency, public hearings will be held at the union level after data collection, while beneficiary information will be reviewed and updated every month to include eligible families and remove ineligible ones.

He said beneficiaries would be selected solely on the basis of eligibility, without discrimination based on religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.

The minister said the programme aims not only to provide financial assistance but also to help families become self-reliant.

Women in beneficiary households will be encouraged to invest the support in children's education, nutrition and healthcare, as well as income-generating activities such as poultry farming, tree plantation, tailoring, cottage industries and small businesses.

He said the initiative would strengthen women's economic empowerment and contribute to poverty reduction in rural areas.

The programme will be monitored through independent evaluations involving the Finance Division, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), and researchers from local and international universities.

A three-tier monitoring mechanism has also been established to oversee data collection, verification and approval through committees at the union, upazila, district, divisional and national levels.

The data will be cross-checked with the Ministry of Finance and other relevant agencies to prevent duplication of social benefits and ensure transparency and accountability in the programme's implementation.