Bogura: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday launched a canal excavation programme and the 2nd phase of the ‘Family Card’ scheme at his ancestral village – Bagbari – in Gabtali upazila of Bogura. He formally inaugurated the excavation work on the Chowkidah canal at Nasipur around 3:45pm by cutting soil with a spade.
According to United News of Bangladesh, earlier in the day, the Prime Minister launched the 2nd phase of the ‘Family Card’ programme by distributing cards among 911 beneficiaries at the Shaheed Zia Degree College ground in Bagbari. The event featured a performance of BNP’s party song, ‘Prothom Bangladesh Amar Shesh Bangladesh,’ and was attended by Tarique Rahman, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman, Social Welfare Minister AZM Zahid Hossain, and supporters.
The ‘Family Card’ programme, part of the BNP’s electoral pledge to improve living standards through women’s empowerment, was initially launched by the Prime Minister in Dhaka on March 10. The scheme will be piloted in 14 upazilas, aiming to support 37,567 women-headed households by June. Each family will receive Tk 2,500 per month.
The cards are developed using contactless chip, QR code, and NFC technology, issued in the name of the mother or female head of the household. There are plans to transform the system into a universal social ID card by 2030.