41 lakh families to get family cards within one year: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced that 41 lakh families across the country will be brought under the family card scheme within the next year.

He made the announcement while addressing an exchange meeting with family cardholder families at the Ashwini Kumar Institute ground in Batajor, Gournadi upazila, Barishal, on Monday morning, July 13.

At the event, family cards were formally distributed among about 600 helpless and destitute families of Gournadi. The Prime Minister spoke with the beneficiary women and inquired about their living conditions.

"Today, 600 families in Gournadi have received family cards. The remaining families will also be brought under the scheme in phases," he said.

The Prime Minister said the budget inherited from the previous government had no allocation for the family card programme. However, adequate funds have been allocated in the new budget.

Under the new budget, 41 lakh families will receive cards within a year, which means an average of 7,000 families per upazila. The government plans to cover all families in the country within the next five years.

He said the family card scheme aims to make women economically self-sufficient alongside their education.

Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated a tree plantation programme on the banks of the Sarikal canal in Batajor union, Gournadi upazila. He urged people from all walks of life to come forward and plant at least one fruit, timber or medicinal tree.