PM to launch cash aid disbursement to 50 lakh families Thursday
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina might launch Thursday the disbursement of Tk 1,250 crore cash assistance among hart-reach 50 lakh poor families amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Primary Minister Sheikh Hasina will formally inaugurate the distribution of Tk 2,500 to each one of the 50 lakh destitute families, influenced badly due to COVID-19 outbreak, through mobile financial solutions (MFSs) from her official Ganabhaban home Thursday morning," Status Minister for Disaster Control and Alleviation Dr Md Enamur Rahman told BSS.
The full total fund of Tk 1,250 crore will be distributed among the 50 lakh families through the portable financial services (MFSs) - bKash, Rocket, Nagad and SureCash, he said.
Through this cash support, practically two crore persons will directly be benefitted as on the average four members have already been counted in just about every of 50 lakh families, the minister said.
Enamur said the full total fund will be disbursed between May 14 and 18, and 10 lakh persons will get the money support through the MFSs every day.
About selecting families, the state minister said their list has been prepared with the poorest 50 lakh families of the 1.25 crore vulnerable families who are actually getting the government’s relief assistance.
PMO sources said the list features been made by a good committee comprising district administration, upazila administration, union parishad chairmen and members, teachers and distinguished individuals of the society.
The reduced income group persons including rickshaw and van-pullers, day-labourers, construction industry workers, agriculture workers, employees of the shops, personnel of private organization organisations, poultry farm workers, transport employees and hawkers have already been contained in the list.
They do not have to pay any cost for drawing the money as the government will bear its cost, the sources said.
In addition to these 50 lakh families, there are two crore people of 50 lakh families who are now getting government assistance beneath the vulnerable group feeding (VGF) cards, the sources added.
Besides, a wide array of folks including freedom fighters, elderly persons, widows, the physically-challenged and girls abandoned by the husbands happen to be acquiring different allowances under various social back-up programmes.
Previously Monday, Finance Division provides released Tk 1,257 crore for the cash assist with the 50 lakh families.
Regarding to Finance Division officials, Tk 627 crore was disbursed for the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) right from the Budget-1 wing while Tk 630 crore also for the PMO via Budget-3 wing. The PMO is supervising the operations of this initiative.
Nagad, a jv of the postal division and an exclusive firm, might distribute the highest amount of Tk 425 crore, while market leader bKash will disburse Tk 375 crore, Rocket Tk 250 crore and SureCash Tk 200 crore, sources at the Disaster Administration and Relief Ministry said.
The prime minister will later start the distribution of stipend and tuition payment among the students of bachelor level and its equivalent degree of 2019 academic year through portable/online banking, a source at the PMO said.
Before, the prime minister announced a couple of stimulus packages of practically Tk 1 lakh crore which is 3.5 percent of the country's GDP to offset the economic fallouts of coronavirus outbreak on the united states.
She also declared a Tk 5,000 crore incentive package for agriculture sector to improve crop production to fend off the possible COVID-19 impact.
Sheikh Hasina simultaneously announced a good stimulus package of Tk 5,000 crore for export-oriented industries to fight the impact of coronavirus.
