Beneficiaries of the government’s safety net programmes are more than double the poor, meaning that the rich have outnumbered the deserving ones, says a new World Bank report. Besides, according to local and foreign watchdogs, there have been reports of rampant mismanagement and corruption in the safety net scheme, but the issue has remained unresolved ever since the programme was launched decades back.
Although economists have been advocating for a reduction in flaws and corruption in the social safety net programme, no effective initiatives have been taken in this regard yet. Allocations meant for the poor have long been going to the rich’s pockets, depriving the actual beneficiaries. Thus, they have suggested streamlining of the safety net by creating a proper database so that benefits reach the target groups. The social safety net programme is worth Tk 107,614 crore for the current fiscal (2021-22), as against last year’s allocation of Tk 95,683 crore.
World Bank policy papers on the safety net programme mention that leaving many deserving beneficiaries out of the social protection programme and bringing the rich into the list is a common thing. Besides, future investment, human resources development and employment are not given any importance while setting the targets of the programme. The papers stress that coordinated intervention among various government agencies is critical.
According to a WB report, in Barishal division the poverty rate is 26.5 per cent, but the number of safety net beneficiaries is more than double the number of poor people. Rangpur division is identified as the poorest region with a poverty rate of 47 per cent, 95 per cent of the poor there have come under the social safety net. The proportion of poor people getting social protection benefits in Dhaka with the lowest poverty rate among the four divisions, is 80 per cent.
It is high time to take a decisive move to remodel the social safety net programme. A coordinated approach is needed to eliminate many errors to make the programme transparent and effective.
