BSS, Khulnan :
About 83,944 extremely poor families of southern Khulna under nine Upazillas would get the rice at a rate of Tk 10 per kilogram (kg) from first week of October 2016.
The selected card holders will get 30 kilograms of rice in every month through village ration dealers at a rate of Tk 10 per kg under the ‘Food Friendly Programme for the Ultra Poor.’
A total of 127 village ration dealers already have been appointed at 68 unions under nine Upazilas in Khulna to sell the rice, District Controller of Food Mahbubur Rahman Khan today told BSS.
For every 500 families, a village ration dealer has been appointed for distributing the rice smoothly while the widows and physically challenged people will get priority in the programme.
The Food DC also said the rice selling programme at Tk 10 per kg will continue for five months which includes the months of September, October, November and March to April in each year. The months have been selected in view of non-availability of work for the day-labourers, he added.
He also, however, vowed to take punitive measures against those who will engage in any irregularities during the programme.
State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Naryan Chandra Chanda, however, already has inaugurated the rice distribution programme at the rate of Tk. 10 per kg at Dumuria upazila on September 9 at a function while Parliament Member of Khulna-4 Nurul Haque inaugurated the programme at Koyra Upazila at separate function on September 7.
Earlier, the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the programme at Chilmary in Kurigram district to make rice available to the poor people at a rate of Tk 10 per kilogram to facilitate them with availability of the food.
BSS from Narsingdi adds: Rice rationing at Tk 10 per kg under a new social safety net scheme which began on 9 September has created positive impact among the ultra poor families in the district.
According to official sources 63,039 ultra poor families in the district have been getting opportunities under the scheme to buy 30-kg rice at Tk 10 per kg a month for five lean months during the dry season.
District Food controller office sources said, of the total distributed ration cards 20,247 were distributed in Sadar upazila,18,145 cards in Raipura upazila, 4,498 cards in Polash upazila, 7,043 cards in Shibpur upazila, 7,883 cards in Monohardi upazila and 5,223 cards in Belabo upazila.
Welcoming the decision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for providing poor families across the country with food ration card under social safety net scheme, the Deputy Commissioner Abu Hena Morshed Zaman in the monthly District Coordination Committee meeting held this week appreciated the scheme and said it is her noble work to build a hunger free prosperous Bangladesh.
