Govt allocates Tk 40b for safety-net programme

The government has increased allocation for its safety-net programme to provide financial support to additional 1.0 million 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 5.76 million, reports BSS.

"We have increased the allocation to Tk 40.00 billion for the current 2017-18 financial year for the people who really need support from the government," Social Welfare Secretary Md Zillar Rahman said.

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.

According to the Department of Social Services (DSS), the government has allocated Tk 21.00 billion as old aged allowance for 3.50 million people who get Tk 500 per month each.

An amount of Tk 7.59 billion has been set aside for 1.26 million widows or women repressed by husband who get Tk 500 each per month.

Moreover, Tk 0.82 million has been allocated for insolvent disabled people get Tk 600 each from an allocation of Tk 6.93 billion.

The government has also allocated Tk 545 million for 80,000 physically challenged students who need financial support for their education.

A central database under the Management Information System (MIS) will be prepared by the end of this year to identify all the extreme poor who need support under the social safety net programme, official said.