Parental Maintenance Act to be amended, penalties and fines to increase

The government has taken an initiative to amend the 'Parental Maintenance Act, 2013' to make it more effective and time-befitting. The proposed amendment will bring changes to the duration of punishment, the amount of fines and provisions for imprisonment for those who violate the law.

Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain disclosed this information in a written reply to a question from MP Nazmun Nahar, a member of the reserved women's seat, during the question-answer session in parliament on Sunday, June 28.

The minister said the initiative to amend the law has been taken based on the opinions of stakeholders. The aim is to enhance the effectiveness of the law and create a stronger legal framework in line with current realities. For this purpose, the amended law will modify the duration of punishment, fines and imprisonment provisions as needed.

In the same session, the minister also spoke about allegations of irregularities and political influence in the distribution of social security allowances.

Responding to a question from MP Fazle Huda of Naogaon-3, he said allegations of political considerations and irregularities in the distribution of social security allowances have been found at various times in the past. The Ministry of Social Welfare is currently taking necessary legal and administrative measures regarding these allegations.

The minister said a nationwide cleansing campaign is underway to include genuinely destitute, disadvantaged and eligible individuals in the beneficiary list and to exclude fake or ineligible recipients. To this end, a high-level committee was formed on April 19 by the Cabinet Division to re-verify the current list of beneficiaries. The committee is working on field-level verification.

The government hopes that the law amendment and reforms in the allowance system will, on one hand, strengthen the legal protection for parental maintenance and, on the other, ensure that social security benefits reach the actual beneficiaries.