The government agency Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has canceled 4.3 million Family Cards, according to Sheikh Bashir Uddin, the Trade Adviser to the interim government. Speaking at an event in the capital on Tuesday, he stated that TCB provides food assistance to 10 million families annually, with government subsidies amounting to BDT 45 billion per year. However, significant irregularities were identified in the distribution of these cards, which have now been reduced to 5.7 million through verification to ensure subsidies are utilized equitably.
Across the country, with support from district administrations, TCB is distributing subsidized essential goods, such as 2 liters of edible oil, 2 kilograms of lentils, and 1 kilogram of sugar, to nearly 10 million low-income families with Family Cards. However, criticisms persist regarding the distribution process, including card duplication and multiple cards being issued to the same family. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Commerce has launched an initiative to issue smart Family Cards, ensuring one card per family. An online service portal has also been introduced for new registrations and to detect duplicate cards.
The interim government aims to ensure transparency in the TCB program by implementing these smart Family Cards. Initially, around 4.7 million beneficiaries will receive smart cards, and deputy commissioners (DCs) have been asked to assist in this process, said Trade Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin. In a letter to DCs, he requested updates to the beneficiary database by identifying families who have not collected goods for a long time or are no longer eligible and replacing them with new beneficiaries.
The letter also mentioned that 5.7 million Family Cards have already been prepared and sent to district administrations, city corporations, and TCB regional offices. During the preparation of smart cards, analysis revealed errors in beneficiary data, non-compliance with eligibility criteria, and cases of long-term inactivity by some cardholders.
Furthermore, the letter emphasized that beneficiary numbers for each city corporation, district, upazila, and union have already been determined. The Smart Family Card portal provides clear insights into the status of the remaining 4.7 million beneficiaries. By logging into the dashboard, officials can view the beneficiary status at all administrative levels. If changes or corrections are required in the prepared smart cards, they can be made by following the instructions provided in the portal.
Launched in March 2022, this initiative aims to make the program more effective by strictly adhering to the eligibility criteria and ensuring that each genuine low-income family receives a single Smart Family Card. The process is ongoing to refine and enhance the program’s efficiency.
