Bangladesh News

The government will introduce four new social safety-net programmes of Tk 3,000 crore to relieve people of the brunt of high food prices in the next budget to be declared on June 9.

The amount is almost equal to the allocation including microcredit provided by the government for social safety nets in the current fiscal year, finance ministry officials said.

One of the four programmes is a Tk 2,400 crore scheme designed to create employment for 100 days a year for around 20 lakh people bellow poverty line, especially of the char and Monga-hit areas.

The government has already directed authorities concerned to enlist the people of low-income group for the programme.

This allocation however may be brought down to Tk 2,000 crore, as different ministries are demanding allocations for different other schemes, the officials said.

In the draft of the programme, the government has decided that the people will be employed for 50 days during March-April and 50 days during September-October, said the sources.

Each day wage of each employed worker will be Tk 120, while the government will provide the same amount as allowances to the enlisted workers who cannot be provided employment for the first fifty days.

The allowance amount, however, will reduce gradually.

In the next budget, the government will set aside Tk 300 crore for the fund to face the challenges caused by climate change. To make the fund bigger, the government will add money to the fund every year and also collect funds from the donors.

A committee led by the environment secretary will also be formed to handle the fund to fight upcoming challenges due to climate change.

Officials said the Economic Relations Division (ERD) will be entrusted with special responsibilities to collect money for the fund.

Another Tk 25 crore will be allocated for a programme to provide maternity allowances to women of low-income groups including garment workers in urban areas, they said.

Under current fiscal year, there is a similar programme in the rural areas where poor women are provided Tk 300 monthly.

The government has planned another Tk 200 crore programme for rural employment and road maintenance. The workers employed under the scheme will get Tk 120 a day for road maintenance and social forestry.

They will also have to deposit a portion of the wage to the bank and after a certain period can get bank loans against the savings, the sources added.

The government is also considering 10 percent increase in the amount for social safety-net programmes in the next budget.

The amount for targeted social empowerment, social safety net, poverty reduction and employment generation programmes in the current fiscal year is Tk 3,893 crore.

Centre for Policy Dialogue Executive Director Dr Mustafizur Rahman at a press conference yesterday appreciated the government’s new programmes.

He however said, “The government must strengthen its mechanisms for efficient distribution of the money allocated for the programme.”