Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud questioned a recent Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) study as the findings of the research did not reflect the government assistance that covered more than one third population of the country amid nationwide shutdown due to COVID-19.
“It is astonishing that the government assistance currently covering more than one third population of the country was not reflected in the CPD’s recent study on government’s steps to contain COVID-19,” he said.
Hasan, also ruling Awami League’s Joint General Secretary, came up with the remarks on Tuesday while replying to a question from journalists about the CPD’s study finding that stated there was ‘no incentives for the marginalized people’ amid the nationwide shutdown.
The minister was talking with the newsmen on the country’s contemporary issues at the AL president’s political office at Dhanmondi in the city , said a press release.
Hasan said under a government programme some 50 lakh lower income families, which mean about 2.5 crore people, are getting 30 kg of rice each in a month at Taka 10 per kg for several years for a period of seven months a year and the authorities are now mulling to extend its time span.
Besides, about one crore people, including 17 lakh widows, 44 lakh elderly people and 16 lakh destitute people, are given different allowances under the social safety net programmes, the information minister said, adding that sufficient relief, including cash Taka 760 crore, has been allocated for the people who were rendered jobless due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
“All of those assistance meant for marginalized and poor people. But I am astonished to see that those government assistances were not projected in the research of an institution like CPD,” the AL joint general secretary said.
Noting that the country’s GDP growth has increased about three and a half times while per capita income and purchasing capacity of the people also have increased about three times in the last 11 years, Hasan said but it is a matter of regret that CPD could not laud the development.
“So, the statement that there were ‘no incentives for the marginalized people’, as has been revealed in a CPD study, is just a traditional statement of the institution as it is their perpetual habit to find out faults (of the government),” he added.
Speaking about BNP, the AL joint general secretary said BNP is busy in comments making competition instead of standing by the people.
