500 families in Patenga will receive family cards on Tuesday

In the first phase of the much-discussed and recently launched nationwide “family card” distribution effort, 500 families in Chattogram will receive family cards on March 10 as part of the BNP’s election vow.

The program will begin in the city’s South Patenga ward number 41. At an inaugural event at Biman Bondor High School on Tuesday, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury will introduce the family card program in his constituency.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah has introduced a ‘zero error’ program to ensure the government’s priority project, the ‘Family Card’ program, is free from mistakes. The Patenga police station, located at end of the city, covers two wards of the Chattogram City Corporation – South Patenga ward number 41 and North Patenga ward number 40.

 The residents of South Patenga are delighted to be included in the 14 wards selected for the family card pilot project nationwide. They will receive their family cards before Eid, bringing joy and excitement to the ordinary poor families in the area.

Confirming this information, Pranoy Chakma, Regional Executive Officer of Chattogram City Corporation, stated on Sunday that approximately 900 workers are involved in the field-level operations of this pilot program led by the district administration and social service office. They have conducted door-to-door surveys to gather information on family size, income, expenses, and social status. In Ward 41 of Dakshin Patenga, a total of 10,124 beneficiaries were initially identified from the extremely poor, poor, and lower middle-class categories. After the selection process, 5,575 individuals have been finalized as beneficiaries. A distribution event for 500 beneficiaries will take place at Patenga High School grounds next Tuesday, where they will receive family cards.
 
Chakma mentioned that beneficiaries from these categories will receive monthly financial assistance ranging from TK 2000 to TK 2500 through the family card system.

The Deputy Commissioner personally inspected the process of selecting beneficiaries for the family card. During the inspection, he visited several houses to oversee  the data collection progress and warned against any negligence in the process. Golam Mainuddin Hasan, Deputy Director of the Local Government Department, mentioned that the initial screening of financially disadvantaged families in Patenga has been completed. The program aims to accurately depict the social and economic conditions of each family. Priority will be given to financially weak families initially, with plans to include all selected families in the program gradually. Measures are in place to ensure that no family is excluded from services due to erroneous information.

The government’s initiatives to empower women, such as the distribution of “Family Cards,” were emphasized by Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah. With the successful completion of survey work in Chattogram and data transferred to the Ministry of Social Welfare’s software, this project has been highly received across the country.

Noor Box, a retired sailor from Patenga’s Butterfly neighborhood, thanked the government for providing family cards to low-income families like his. They are expected to receive the cards next Tuesday, he said, and the survey was completed in his wife Khadija Begum’s name. Rokeya Begum, who now lives in Patenga’s Charihalda neighborhood after being uprooted by the Sadhip River’s erosion, talked about her challenges as a widow with two kids.

She survives by begging and is unable to afford proper meals or medication for her respiratory problems. She hopes that with government support, she will be able to purchase essential medicines.