No room for corruption in family card distribution scheme: Minister

Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain said on Sunday that there will be no chance for corruption in the family card distribution programme, one of the key election pledges of the BNP.
“Three-tier monitoring would be ensured for the distribution of family cards,” he told reporters at the Secretariat. 
He said that the cards would initially be provided on a priority basis to extremely poor and poor families along with various associated facilities.
He noted that the government has already taken initiatives to introduce the family cards in one upazila from each of the eight divisions across the country before the Eid-ul-Fitr.  
The minister stated that the government’s main objective in distributing the family cards is to empower women within their families and enhance financial stability in their lives.
The information about each family will be stored based on their national identity cards by creating a central database in a bid to prevent irregularities and corruption in the overall system.
Later, the scope and nature of the family card project will be expanded nationwide based on lists prepared by the local administrations and the elected public representatives.
“The necessary papers, including a National ID Card, a passport-sized colour photo and an active mobile number, will be required for registering the cards,” he added. 

Under the pilot project, applicants can collect application forms from the union parishad, municipality, or from councillors' offices. The government is also planning to introduce an online system so that applicants can submit their applications from their homes.      
Earlier on 19 February, the BNP-led government announced the launch of a nationwide family card programme covering five crore households, with priority given to the poorest families and women.
Chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Cabinet Division, the inter-ministerial meeting approved the decision, aiming to strengthen social safety net services and ensure targeted support for low-and middle-income households.