The government has expanded the coverage of its safety-net programme and increased allocation for it to provide financial support to additional 10 lakh extreme poor, according to the social welfare ministry.
With this fresh move, the total number of beneficiaries of the government’s highly acclaimed safety-net programme reached 57.67 lakh.
“We have also increased the allocation to Taka 4,000 crore for the current 2017-18 financial year for the people who really need support from the government,” Social Welfare Secretary Md. Zillar Rahman told.
Under the programme, the government provides allowances to elderly poor, widows, divorced women, disabled people, distressed and poor pregnant women, tea garden workers, transgender, dalit (a marginal group) and gypsy communities and financially insolvent freedom fighters.
Other social safety-net programmes-Open Market Sale (OMS), Vulnerable Group Development (VGD), Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Test Relief (TR), Food for Work and Programme for Friendly Food- are also in operation across the country.
Besides, the women and children affairs ministry is providing 30 kilogram of rice to 10 lakh extreme poor women per month and maternal allowances to eight lakh extreme mothers. The ministry is also distributing nutritious rice among poor people in 35 upazilas.
According to the Department of Social Services (DSS), the government has allocated Taka 2,100 crore as old aged allowance for 35 lakh people who get Taka 500 per month each.
An amount of Taka 759 crore has been set aside for 12.65 lakh widows or women repressed by husband who get Taka 500 each per month while 8.25 lakh insolvent disabled people get Taka 600 each from an allocation of Taka 693 crore.
The government has also allocated Taka 54.50 crore for 80,000 physically challenged students who need financial support for their education.
Some specially designed programmes have been operating for the tea garden workers and transgender, dalit and gypsy communities to help them improve their livelihood.
