Govt to assess impact of family card allowances: finance minister

The government will conduct an impact assessment to evaluate how family card beneficiaries are utilising their allowances, including whether recipients are making progress in health and education, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said today.

"Since a significant portion of revenue will be spent on this programme every year, it is essential to verify whether the allowances are truly improving the living standards of beneficiaries," the minister said after chairing the fourth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Family Card Distribution at the secretariat in the capital.

The finance minister stressed that no party-affiliated individuals were included in the selection process to ensure that genuine beneficiaries receive the cards. He also urged officials to pay special attention to small ethnic communities.

At the meeting, Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain said 4.1 crore families would receive family cards over the next four years, with 41 lakh families to be covered in the upcoming fiscal year.

The programme relies on national identity cards from the outset. Anyone already enrolled in another social safety programme will not be eligible, and any attempt to conceal such information will be detected, he added.

Officials also announced that beneficiaries would be reassessed every four years. Families whose living standards improve will be excluded, while new beneficiaries will be brought under the scheme.

The meeting was also attended by State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder, Social Welfare Secretary Mohammad Abu Yusuf, and Planning Secretary SM Shakil Akhter.