Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday formally launched the government’s “Family Card” program, fulfilling an election pledge aimed at providing financial assistance to ultra-poor families.
On the first day of the initiative, around 15,000 extremely poor women from the Karail slum in the Dhaka-17 constituency received the cards. The inauguration ceremony was held at the Banani T&T School Ground, where the prime minister personally handed over Family Cards to several beneficiaries.
During the election campaign, Rahman had pledged that if his government comes to power, distribution of the cards would begin with voters in his own constituency. Tuesday’s launch marked the fulfillment of that commitment.
Several women attending the program said that even before receiving the cards, Tk 2,500 had already been deposited into their mobile financial service accounts earlier in the day.
One beneficiary, Maryam, a widow, became emotional while speaking about the assistance.
“My husband died three years ago, and I have been struggling to survive with my two children. This monthly support will help us, at least to some extent,” she said.
Another recipient, Hafsa Begum, described the initiative as a timely gift ahead of Eid al-Fitr.
“This is a big gift from the government for us before the upcoming Eid. We knew we would receive the Family Card, but we never expected the process to be completed so quickly,” she said.
Other women present at the event also expressed satisfaction with what they described as a swift and transparent distribution process, conveying their gratitude to the prime minister.
According to officials concerned, the government plans to gradually expand the Family Card program across the country. Under the initiative, ultra-poor families will receive direct financial assistance as well as access to essential commodities at subsidized prices.