Urgent measures needed to resolve allowance issues

The government distributes various types of allowances, such as elderly allowances, widow allowances, husband deserted women allowances, and disability allowances, to assist the extremely poor. However, approximately 43% of the individuals receiving benefits under the social safety net program are ineligible for the allowances. Due to nepotism and corruption in the beneficiary selection process during previous administrations, many ineligible individuals have been included in the lists. To rectify this situation, the interim government has decided to review the list of beneficiaries and exclude the ineligible while including the eligible.

Since taking office, the interim government has decided to remove affluent individuals from the social safety net program and include genuine beneficiaries. As part of this effort, authorities has been asked to verify whether those currently on the beneficiary list are truly eligible to receive the allowances. As a result, the distribution of allowances has been suspended for the past three months, causing concern among 1.25 crore beneficiaries.

Yesterday, Thursday (October 17), reports in the media indicated that many people are claiming that the interim government has stopped providing allowances to beneficiaries since taking office. However, the Department of Social Services stated that the information about the allowances being halted is a rumor. They assured that the first quarter’s allowances will be disbursed as soon as the beneficiary list is finalized, and payments will be made by November.

According to sources from the Department of Social Services, this year, 6 million people will receive elderly allowances, with each beneficiary getting 600 Taka per month. The budget allocation for this is 43.5 billion Taka. Nearly 2.8 million people receive widow allowances, with each getting 550 Taka. The budget for this is 18.44 billion Taka. About 3.2 million people receive disability allowances, with each getting 850 Taka, amounting to a budget of 33.21 billion Taka. The hijra community receives special allowances, totaling 1.3 million people, with a monthly allowance of 600 Taka and a budget of 90 million Taka. The Bede community has 6,000 beneficiaries, each receiving 500 Taka per month, with a budget of 35 million Taka. Additionally, 60,000 people from marginalized communities receive special allowances of 500 Taka per month, with a budget allocation of 360 million Taka. Generally, the allowances for beneficiaries are disbursed every three months.

The allegations of irregularities in the selection of beneficiaries under the social protection program have persisted for a long time. Wealthy individuals have made their way onto the list, receiving allowances despite not being eligible, while genuine beneficiaries are being deprived of support. The Department of Social Services has indicated that the interim government is struggling to accurately identify true beneficiaries. Due to the lack of many local representatives, finalizing the list of genuine beneficiaries has become challenging. Since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 due to a student-led uprising, many representatives have gone into hiding.

Although the current situation is somewhat adverse, we hope that the concerns of beneficiaries will be alleviated soon. They are already in a vulnerable position, with many having no source of income, waiting for this small amount each month. With the money, they aim to buy medicines or meet urgent needs. Considering their humanitarian circumstances, it is imperative to resolve the issues surrounding the distribution of these allowances on an urgent basis.