Social security scheme widened

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FE Report
The government has widened its social security programme in the budget for fiscal year 2010-11, aiming to help accelerate economic growth by reducing poverty.
Keeping this end in view, Finance Minister AMA Muhith proposed to allocate Tk 194.97 billion for the government's various social safety net programmes for the next fiscal, which is about 14.8 per cent of development and non-development outlays and 2.5 percent of GDP.
"Ensuring social security for the poor and their empowerment through employment are at the heart of all of our poverty reduction agenda," the Finance Minister said Thursday while presenting the 2010-11 budget.
Among the social security programmes, the minister proposed to enhance the beneficiaries under Old Age allowance to 24,75,000 and allocate Tk 891 billion for it.
In the current fiscal, the number of beneficiaries under the Old Age allowance is 22,50,000, he said.
Mentioing that Tk. 336 million has been allocated in the current fiscal on account of allowance for Poor Lactating Mothers, the Finance Minister proposed to allocate Tk. 436 million for the purpose in the next fiscal year.
He also proposed to allocate Tk 300 million on account of allowances for lactating mothers of low-income working group in urban areas.