Tarique Rahman launched the Family Card Program on Tuesday to support women-led households in Bangladesh. The program was inaugurated at the T&T playground in Banani near the Korail slum in Dhaka.
The event was attended by Zubaida Rahman, cabinet members, and government officials involved in the project. The ceremony began with recitations from the Holy Quran and other religious texts, followed by the BNP party song “Prothom Bangladesh Amar Shesh Bangladesh.”
According to the Ministry of Social Welfare, the program is being started as a pilot project in 15 wards across 13 districts. Usually, one family card will be given to a household with five members. Larger families may receive more cards depending on their size.
In the first phase, selected families will receive Tk 2,500 every month as financial support. In the future, the government may replace the cash with food assistance of the same value.
During the pilot phase, data was collected from 67,854 women-led families. After verification using the Proxy Means Test (PMT) system, 37,567 families were selected for the program. Families already receiving multiple government benefits, government employees, and pensioners were excluded.
The Family Cards will include modern security features such as contactless chips, QR codes, and NFC technology. Under the Government-to-Person (G2P) system, the money will be sent directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts or mobile wallets.
Strict rules have also been set for eligibility. Families will not qualify if a member works in a government institution, is an MPO-listed teacher, or owns savings certificates worth more than Tk 500,000 or luxury items like a car or air conditioner.
The government has allocated Tk 38.07 crore for the pilot project until June. Officials say the program aims to strengthen women’s economic independence and support vulnerable families across the country.