0.84m ultra-poor families get rice at Tk 10 per kg

FE Team | Published: September 08, 2018 18:55:00

RANGPUR, Sept 08 (BSS): More than 0.84 million beneficiary families are getting rice at Tk 10 per kg in Rangpur division.
The ultra-poor people are getting the rice under the 'Food-friendly programme'.
"Every card holder beneficiary family is getting 30 kg rice monthly at Tk 10 per kg for five months during the lean seasons annually under the programme," Rangpur Regional Controller of Food Raihanul Kabir told the news agency on Saturday.
Under the epoch-making food friendly programme, more than 25,411 tonnes of rice is being sold to the card holder beneficiaries of all eight districts under Rangpur division every month.
The beneficiary families are getting rice at Tk 10 per kg for September, October and November now after getting the same for March and April early this year.
"The programme has been running smoothly bringing relief to the ultra poor during the five-month lean periods every year since September 07, 2016 when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally launched the initiative under the social safety net scheme," Kabir said.
The female-led families, widows, divorced or abandoned women and poor households with children, who are not beneficiaries of other social safety-net programmes, were given priority during beneficiary selection process.
Under the programme, 8, 47,043 card holder beneficiary families of 534 unions under all 58 upazilas in eight districts of Rangpur division are getting the rice at Tk 10 per kgthrough 1,473 appointed village ration dealers.
"A total of 256 ration dealers have been appointed to sell the rice in Rangpur, 194 in Gaibandha, 205 in Kurigram, 131 in Lalmonirhat, 250 in Nilphamari, 239 in Dinajpur, 92 in Panchagarh and 106 in Thakurgaon districts in the division," Kabir said.
Over 0.14 million card holder families in Rangpur, 0.11 million in Gaibandha, 0.14 million in Kurigram, 58,730 in Lalmonirhat, 0.13 million in Nilphamari, 0.13 million in Dinajpur, 50,466 in Panchagarh and 67,070 families in Thakurgaon are getting the opportunity.