Budget FY2017-18: Govt to widen social safety net

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has proposed to increase the volume and coverage of the government's social safety net programmes in the 2017-18 fiscal year to improve the living standards of the poor. In his budget speech at parliament on Thursday, he said allocation of funds and the number of beneficiaries in different schemes had been increased in the proposed budget. He proposed to raise the number of recipients of old age allowance to 3.5 million from 3.15 million, widow and oppressed women allowance to 1.27 million, disability allowance to 825,000, education stipend for students with disability to 10,000 at both primary and secondary levels, and maternity allowance to 600,000. Tk11.35 crore has been allocated as a special allowance for transgender people, while the allowance for financially insolvent disabled people has been increased to Tk700 per month. In addition, the government will continue the existing social protection programmes, including the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme.  

Special protection scheme for Haor areas

The government has already employed emergency schemes to provide 30kg rice every month to each of the 330,000 bona fide destitute and flood-affected families in Haor areas, the finance minister said in his budget speech. In addition, Tk57 crore has been allocated to provide cash assistance to the affected people on a monthly basis. Tk82.07 crore has been allocated for 91,447 beneficiaries under the Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest (EGPP). Loan recovery will remain suspended until the situation in Haor areas is improved, the minister said. Besides, a new loan at concessional rates has been disbursed among affected farmers, and facilities have been provided for re-scheduling credit, he added.