37,567 Women-Led Families to Get Family Card Aid

The government is launching a new initiative titled “Family Card” to support women-led households by providing monthly financial assistance aimed at strengthening women’s empowerment and economic independence.

The programme will be formally inaugurated on Tuesday at 10:00am at the T&T Playground in Banani, near the Korail area of Dhaka. Tarique Rahman is expected to attend the launch event.

According to Sharmeen S. Murshid, adviser to the Ministry of Social Welfare, the initiative will initially benefit 37,567 women-headed families selected through a detailed screening process.

During the pilot phase, authorities collected data on 67,854 women-led households across the country. A software-based Proxy Means Test (PMT) system was used to assess poverty indicators and classify the families according to their economic condition.

Following verification and screening, 37,567 households were selected to receive assistance under the programme.

Initially, the pilot project will be implemented in 15 wards across 13 city corporations and unions in 13 districts.

To verify socio-economic conditions, committees were formed at ward, union, upazila and district levels. Members of these committees conducted door-to-door visits to gather information on family size, education levels, housing conditions, household assets and remittance income.

Officials said the entire selection process was carried out through a digital system to minimise the risk of corruption or favouritism in selecting beneficiaries.

Each Family Card will include contactless chips, QR codes and NFC technology. A single card will allow up to five members of a household to receive benefits, while larger joint families may receive additional cards depending on family size.

Under the pilot phase, each selected family will receive a monthly allowance of Tk2,500. Authorities are also considering introducing food assistance of equivalent value in the future under the programme.