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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman presents a Family Card to a beneficiary at the T&T ground, adjacent to the Korail slum in the capital, on Tuesday. -PID Photo
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said the government plans to bring four crore families headed by women under the Family Card programme within the next five years.
“I firmly believe that my government will gradually bring this Family Card to all four crore families in Bangladesh headed by women within the next five years, InshaAllah,” said the prime minister while inaugurating the programme at the T&T ground in Banani, adjacent to Korail slum. The event was organised by the Ministry of Social Welfare.
He said the government must follow rules and regulations in implementing initiatives, beginning with pilot projects. The Family Card programme has started in 14 upazilas across Bangladesh, covering about 37,000 women. In Dhaka, approximately 15,000 women from Korail, Bhashantek, and Sattala slums received cards on the first day.
During the inauguration, the prime minister handed over family cards to 17 women and electronically transferred allowances to 37,567 women across the 14 pilot locations.
Tarique emphasised the importance of empowering women for national progress. “Half of Bangladesh’s population are women. If we leave this half behind, if we do not empower them socially, educationally, and economically, it is certainly not possible to move the country forward,” he said.
Recalling the contributions of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, he noted that she made education free for girls from school to intermediate level. “Today, we want to empower that educated female population economically and make them financially independent,” he added.
The prime minister said the programme was a key part of the government’s plans to empower women and ensure social protection. “We have begun this work less than a month after forming the government, fulfilling our election promise,” he said.
Tarique also highlighted other commitments, including the introduction of the Farmer Card. “Just as we handed over family cards to 37,000 women, within the next month we hope to distribute farmer cards to many farmers, InshaAllah,” he said. He noted that the government recently announced the waiver of agricultural loans up to Tk10,000, including interest.
Describing the launch as an emotional milestone, the prime minister said, “By the grace of Allah, today is the day we have been able to keep our promise. This is a historic and emotional day for my government and party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.” He urged citizens to remain patient amid global challenges, saying, “Let us build our country beautifully with patience.”
Emphasising the government’s accountability to the people, he said, “This government has been elected by the citizens and is obliged to remain answerable to them.”
Rina Begum, a beneficiary from Sattala slum, expressed her gratitude, saying, “Thank you, prime minister. I never dreamed I would get this card. This money will help my family a lot.”
The pilot programme has been implemented in 14 districts, including Dhaka, Rajbari, Chattogram, Brahmanbaria, Bandarban, Khulna, Bhola, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Bogura, Natore, Thakurgaon, and Dinajpur. In Dhaka, beneficiaries included residents of Korail, Bhashantek, Sattala, Mirpur Circle, Shah Ali’s Ward-8, Alimia’s Tech slum (Ward-14), and Baganbari.
Each Family Card is equipped with a contactless chip, QR code, and NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to ensure security and ease of use. Cards cover up to five members per household, with larger families receiving multiple cards. Selected beneficiaries receive a monthly allowance of Tk2,500, and the government may later consider providing equivalent food assistance.
Eligibility excludes households where any member receives salary, allowance, or pension from government, autonomous bodies, or state-owned institutions. Households with commercial licences, large businesses, luxury assets such as cars or air conditioners, or savings certificates worth Tk500,000 or more are also ineligible. Allowances are transferred directly via the Government-to-Person (G2P) digital payment system to women’s mobile wallets or bank accounts, ensuring timely support without intermediaries.
The government has allocated Tk38.07 crore for the pilot implementation until June 2026, of which Tk25.15 crore (66.06%) will be distributed as direct cash support, and Tk12.92 crore (33.94%) will cover programme implementation, including data collection, online system development, and card production.
Dr Zubaida Rahman, spouse of the Prime Minister; Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain; State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin; Social Welfare Secretary Dr Mohammad Abu Yusuf; and Dhaka North City Corporation administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan were among the officials present at the occasion.