Govt relaxes conditions for widow allowance

The Cabinet has approved the draft of ‘Allowance for the Widow and Husband Deserted Women Scheme Implementation Policy, 2024’.

In the draft, the government has relaxed the income limit for widows and husband deserted women. Widows and husband deserted women earning less than Tk 15,000 per annum will be eligible for the allowance. The existing rules mention income less than Tk 12,000.

This decision was made at a Cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday (April 1).

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain briefed the journalists at the Secretariat.

He said 25,75,000 widows and husband deserted women were given a monthly allowance of Tk 550 in the financial year 2024-25.