'Govt to issue 22.25 lakh fair price cards for poor, underprivileged'

28 June 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The government will issue 22.25 lakh fair price cards for the poor and underprivileged to enable them to buy rice at a lower price, Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque told the House yesterday. While replying to lawmakers' queries, he said six-member committees are working at each ward of city corporations to prepare a list of families. Mayors and lawmakers elected from the constituencies in the city corporations have been made advisors to the committees. The committees will prepare the lists taking into consideration the economic circumstances of the families. Those falling within the lower income bracket but not getting benefits from the government's different social safety net programs including VGD, VGF, GR and FFI will be eligible for the cards, the minister said. He said the government has no plans for reintroduction of food rationing system, but it has taken various measures to ensure food security to low wage earners. The government is considering supplying rice and wheat to government's fourth-class employees and members of Village Defence Party (VDP) and village police at a price much lower than that of the market. While commenting on the quality and stability of buildings constructed in the capital and major cities, the minister said most of them are not tough enough to sustain the shock of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 on a Richter scale.