Smart Family Cards likely to be replaced by next month

The government is expecting to complete processing the 'Smart Family Cards' next month (January 2025) to replace the existing digital cards used for distributing key essential commodities at subsidised rates among 1o million low-income people across the country.

Sources at the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) said 5.7 million cards have already been prepared and the rest are under the process. Necessary updates like correction, addition and subtraction of the 5.7 million card holders are going on.

"We are expecting to sell the essentials against the Smart Family Cards from the beginning of the 2025, and the work on processing the cards is going on smoothly," said an official at the state entity.

The items are now sold through digital cards which will be invalid after introduction of the smart cards, sources said.

The commerce ministry has already asked the two city corporations and deputy commissioners (DCs) to update required info if needed.

The TCB is conducting the sales drive of key essential items every month at subsidised rate among the card holder family members.

It sells soybean oil, lentil and rice at lower rates than the market. The agency included potato in the list of its key essentials meant for the 10 million low-income families, according to a source.

The issue of selling potato at a subsidised rate came as it has become dearer in the kitchen market in recent months.

Due to a shortage of sugar stock, the TCB cannot sell the sweetener under the drive for the last couple of months.

Sugar, gram, dates, etc. are sold at lower prices during the holy month of Ramadan. These products are procured every month as per annual procurement plan following the Public Procurement Act 2006 and the Public Procurement Rules 2008.

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