The caretaker government looks set to widen the social safety net in the upcoming budget to speed up poverty reduction initiatives, finance ministry officials said, reports bndews24.com.
Both the allocation and the number of recipients would be increased by 10 per cent in the budget, they said.
Allocations for social safety nets would be increased by Tk 800 million (80 crore) to Tk 1.0 billion (100 crore) in the upcoming budget.
The safety net comprises senior citizen allowance, allowance for destitute widows, honorarium programme for insolvent freedom fighters, assistance to fully retarded persons, seasonal unemployment reduction fund, test relief, food for work programme, gratuitous relief (GR), vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme and vulnerable group development (VGD), etc.
In FY 2006-07, the allocation for 'senior citizen allowance' was enhanced to Tk 200 from Tk 180 and the number of beneficiaries also rose to 1.60 million (16 lakh) from 1.50 million (15 lakh) a year ago.
"Both the allowance and the number of recipients would be increased in the upcoming budget by about 10 per cent," a senior finance ministry official told the news agency, requesting anonymity.
About Tk 4.0 billion (400 crore) would be spent on the allowance during the current fiscal, which was Tk 3.24 billion (324 crore) in 2005-06.
The government has fixed the allowance for destitute widows at Tk 200 this fiscal from Tk 180 a year ago and increased the number of beneficiaries to 0.65 million (6.5 lakh) in FY 2006-07 from 0.625 million (6.25 lakh) in the previous year.
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