Ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, the BNP pledged in its election manifesto to introduce the Family Card programme to strengthen the economic security of people, particularly women.
The government launched the pilot programme on March 10 at the T&T playground in Banani, adjacent to Dhaka’s Korail slum. Under the pilot programme, selected women receive Tk 2,500 a month through mobile financial services or bank accounts.
Since then, “Family Card” has become a familiar term among Korail residents. While the programme has brought relief to some families, many of the slum’s poorest residents say they have been left out.
Residents interviewed by Dhaka Tribune alleged that some relatively well-off households received the cards, while families struggling to afford even basic food were denied the benefit.
Rasheda, Morzina among those left out
Rasheda Begum, originally from Rangpur, has lived in Korail for more than a decade. With no homestead in her village, the slum has become her last refuge.
She has two children, Tabassum and Zakaria. Tabassum has a disability. Rasheda begs on the streets and in the alleys around Mohakhali to support her children. Her husband left her after their child was born with a disability.
Despite applying for a Family Card, she did not receive one.
A similar story was shared by Morzina Khatun and her son Majnu, both of whom have physical disabilities. They have no homestead in their village and have lived in Korail for around 20 years.
Unable to walk, Morzina begs while sitting on a two-wheeled cart.
Rasheda and Morzina told Dhaka Tribune that officials collected their national ID details and photographs before the pilot programme began, but they received neither cards nor payments.
They alleged that many families with relatively better incomes received cards, while those struggling to afford three meals a day were left out.
“I eat when I can beg. Otherwise, I have to go without food,” Morzina said.
Rasheda said she had contemplated suicide because of poverty but was staying alive for her helpless children.
Better-off families among beneficiaries
There is a contrasting picture in Korail, with some residents who appear relatively financially secure also receiving Family Cards.
Nasima Begum is one of them. Her husband, Ashraful, works as a school van driver. Nasima has a two-storey tin-roofed house in the slum with seven rooms, which she rents out for around Tk 5,000 each, earning about Tk 35,000 a month.
“I have received four months’ payments through the Family Card. But I have not received the payments for July and August yet,” she told Dhaka Tribune.
Poorest residents demand inclusion
During a visit to Beltola Adarsh Nagar in Korail on Saturday afternoon, this correspondent found tin-roofed shacks lining narrow lanes. Most homes are so cramped that there is barely enough space to stand inside.
Women in most households work as domestic workers or in garment factories. Many families have several children. In some households, husbands do not support their families, while in others, even the combined income of both spouses is insufficient to make ends meet.
For such families, the Family Card is a much-anticipated source of support.
Under the social safety-net programme, selected families receive cash through mobile financial services. But many households living alongside beneficiaries remain excluded.
Several residents who did not receive cards told Dhaka Tribune that elderly people, widows, persons with disabilities, people suffering from chronic illnesses and families without an earning member should receive priority.
They said only a few such families had received cards, while most remained excluded.
Disabled child, jailed husband leave Sharifa struggling
Sharifa Begum lives in Beltola Adarsh Nagar and works as a domestic helper. Her son Suman has a physical disability. His grandmother looks after him while Sharifa is at work. His father is currently in jail in connection with a case.
“I have done everything short of begging at people’s feet for a Family Card, but no one helped me. My husband is in jail. Even after working in people’s homes, I cannot afford two meals a day. I cannot afford treatment for my disabled child,” Sharifa said, wiping away tears.She appealed to the government for assistance for her son.
Alecha Begum, another extremely poor resident, also did not receive a card. Her husband is ill and unable to work. She earns a living doing domestic work.
“I applied for a card but did not get one. Those who are better off got cards, but we did not,” she said.
Another resident, Jharna, said, “My husband’s income is not enough to run the family. I am struggling with two children. We desperately need a card.”
Four months’ payments received, July-August dues remain
Some beneficiaries received Tk 2,500 a month from March through June under the pilot programme, but several said they have yet to receive payments for July and August.
Marium Begum told Dhaka Tribune that she had received four months’ payments through mobile banking but had not received the payments for July and August.
Sharmin Begum said, “I have not received the money for two months, July and August. I went to the office to find out what happened, but they could not give me any information.”
PM to formally launch programme in Kishoreganj
Following the pilot phase, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to formally launch the Family Card programme in Kishoreganj on August 16. The launch is scheduled to take place at Ward 8 of Latifabad Union in Kishoreganj Sadar upazila.
Mohammad Rezaur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Social Services, told Dhaka Tribune that the prime minister would formally launch the programme in Kishoreganj on August 16.
The programme will then be rolled out gradually across all upazilas and unions by the end of October.
Who will receive Family Cards?
Women from extremely poor, poor and low-income households will primarily be eligible for the cards, with extremely poor and poor families receiving priority during the initial phase.
Under the government guidelines, landless and homeless families, households with persons with disabilities, hijra and Bede communities, ethnic minority families and households owning up to 0.5 acres of land will receive priority.
A maximum of five members of each family will be considered for eligibility. In joint families, a separate card will be issued for every five members.