Netrokona: Deputy Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad and lawmaker from Netrokona-1 (Durgapur-Kalmakanda) constituency Barrister Kayser Kamal has announced that the ‘Family Card’ programme was launched to build a humane state based on social justice. He described it as a ‘dream project’ of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Kamal made these remarks while addressing a ‘Family Card’ distribution ceremony as the chief guest at the Kalmakanda Zila Parishad Auditorium-cum-Multipurpose Hall.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the programme was organised by the Ministry of Social Welfare and arranged under the government’s social safety net programmes. The initiative carries the slogan ‘Family, not the individual, is the core unit of development’ and ‘One ID, One Family’ to implement the government’s social welfare vision. The event followed the virtual inauguration of the second phase of the pilot programme by Prime Minister Rahman across the country, including in Kalmakanda.
During the event, Deputy Speaker Kamal issued a stern warning to field-level officials and public representatives, stating that no irregularities or financial corruption in the Family Card programme or any government development initiative would be tolerated. He emphasized that corruption extends beyond financial transactions to include negligence in collecting information from the underprivileged households.
Kamal also highlighted the importance of equality in the distribution process, asserting that there should be no discrimination based on class, religion, or ethnicity. He directed the authorities to prioritize including families living in shanties and homes without basic furniture in future activities.
Further, Kamal urged affluent individuals who may have mistakenly received the allowance card worth Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 to share the support with genuinely poor neighbors. Under the programme, Family Cards were distributed among 794 beneficiaries in Lengura Union of Kalmakanda upazila.
Beneficiary Lovely Rongdi from Phulbari village in Lengura Union expressed her gratitude after receiving the card, noting that it was her first time receiving government assistance. She explained that her family, which survives by collecting and selling firewood, often struggles to afford nutritious food. She expressed hope that the Family Card assistance would ease their hardship, support her children’s education, and ensure better food for the family.
Deputy Commissioner Khandaker Mushfiqur Rahman chaired the programme, which was attended by several notable figures including Netrokona-2 lawmaker and district BNP president Prof Dr Anwarul Haque, Zila Parishad Administrator Advocate Nuruzzaman Nuru, Superintendent of Police Md Tarikul Islam, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services Shah Alam, and Kalmakanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer SM Mikail Islam. Local administration officials, public representatives, journalists, and beneficiaries were also present at the programme.