REJAUL KARIM BYRON

The government is setting aside Tk 1,45,000 crore in the next fiscal year’s programme for social safety net schemes, up 14.4 percent year-on-year, with about 9.7 percent of the sum going towards the BNP’s flagship Family Card programme.

Next year’s social safety net allocation is 2.1 percent of GDP and around 16 percent of the proposed budget. This year, 1.87 percent of GDP or 14.78 percent of the budget went towards the social safety net.

In fiscal 2026-27, the number of social safety net programmes will be trimmed to 90 from 95 at present, The Daily Star has learnt from finance ministry officials involved with the proceedings.

Of the 90 programmes, 45 will be categorised as pro-poor, with allocations of just over Tk 55,000 crore. This fiscal year, there are 38 such programmes with allocations of Tk 39,000 crore.

As many as 1 crore new beneficiaries are expected to come on board through six new programmes tied to the BNP’s electoral pledges.

The largest of these is the Family Card programme, for which 1 crore households will be surveyed to select 41 lakh families. Each family will receive Tk 2,500 per month, which will cost Tk 14,000 crore next fiscal year.

Those selected for the Family Card programme cannot be beneficiaries of other social safety net programmes.

To prevent duplication of beneficiaries, an effective database will be developed that contains the names, addresses, and contact information of beneficiaries.

About Tk 1,400 crore will go towards the distribution of 42.5 lakh Farmers’ Card, another flagship programme of the BNP. Each beneficiary would receive a yearly payment of Tk 2,500.

As many as 15,669 victims from the July uprising would get allowances ranging from Tk A new

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