Dhaka: State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin today informed the House of the government’s initiative to re-check the beneficiary lists of social safety-net programmes. The objective is to remove ineligible persons and ensure that support reaches genuine recipients.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the state minister expressed efforts to identify genuine beneficiaries in the lists. The government aims to provide allowances under the social safety net to eligible people by correcting, reshuffling, and rechecking beneficiary lists. The state minister made these comments in response to a supplementary question from opposition lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury during the question-answer session in the House.
In his question, Shahjahan Chowdhury, a Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker, inquired if the government would address irregularities and corruption in the social safety programmes. Responding, Farzana Sharmin explained that former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia introduced these programmes, but nepotism affected the preparation of beneficiary lists.
Sharmin announced the government’s decision to form upazila-level committees to review and verify the beneficiary lists. The committees aim to ensure that deserving individuals receive cards and benefits, aligning with the government’s goal to improve living standards and ensure transparency.
In response to treasury bench lawmaker Zainul Abdin Farroque, Sharmin said that existing beneficiary lists are being re-examined to identify genuine eligibility for programme benefits. She also mentioned that lists from previous regimes would be scrutinized as part of the solution to existing irregularities.
Answering another supplementary question from Gazi Nazrul Islam, Sharmin stated that the government would consider including any unidentified sectors eligible for social safety schemes to ensure benefits reach real beneficiaries. She emphasized the government’s commitment to sincerity and eliminating nepotism, citing the introduction of the ‘Family Card’ as an example.