Allowances for elderly, disabled people to be raised
FE Report | Monday, 9 March 2009
The government will widen its social safety-net programmes by raising both the allowance and number of beneficiaries including elderly and physically disabled people, widowed women and freedom fighters in its next budget, Social Welfare Minister Enamul Huq Mostafa Shaheed said Sunday.
"We have decided to enhance the allowances for increased number of elderly people, freedom fighters and disabled people," the minister said after a meeting of the cabinet committee on allowance affairs at the secretariat with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair.
Keeping this end in view, the government has undertaken a plan for adopting new policy on the payment of such official allowance, he said, adding the next budget is expected to see the reflection of it.
Apart from widening of the beneficiary coverage, the government has taken necessary steps to strictly monitor and evaluate the selection of beneficiaries and payment of allowances, taking previous experiences of anomalies into account.
About the anomalies, the social welfare minister said the beneficiaries under the government's social safety-net programmes were selected in political consideration during the regime of the past four-party alliance government.
Against this backdrop, the government has already directed the authorities concerned for making fresh lists of beneficiaries.
Responding to a query, Mr. Enamul Huq said the local parliament members, upazila chairmen and elected female upazil vice-chairmen will look into the selection and disbursements of such allowances.
"The disbursement process of allowances under the government's social safety-net schemes will be restricted for making it more time-bound and target oriented," he said.
Earlier, the allowances were disbursed under the auspices of the local 'gram sarkar', he added.
When asked whether or not the new lists of beneficiaries would be completed before the next budget, the minister said, " If not, we will start the process of raising the allowances and number of beneficiary by updating the exiting lists."
About the unemployment allowance, he said new job opportunities will be created for the unemployed persons.
Among other safety-net programmes, the past caretaker government enhanced the monthly rate of Old Age allowance to Tk 250 for the 2008-09 fiscal year from the previous year's amount of Tk 220 while the number of beneficiaries was also increased to 2.0 million from 1.7 million, official sources said.
Besides, the allocation for the old-age allowance was also enhanced to Tk. 6.0 billion in the FY 2008-09 from Tk. 4.49 billion in the previous fiscal.
On the other hand, the caretaker administration also enhanced the monthly rate of Allowance for the Wounded Freedom Fighters by 20 percent at all levels and raised the allowance for the Insolvent Freedom Fighters from Tk. 600 to Tk. 720 for the 2008-09 fiscal.
The monthly rate of allowance for the Insolvent Persons with Physical Disability has been increased to Tk 250 in the current fiscal from the previous year's Tk 220. And the allocation for the programme has been increased to Tk 60 million from Tk 50 million previously.
"We have decided to enhance the allowances for increased number of elderly people, freedom fighters and disabled people," the minister said after a meeting of the cabinet committee on allowance affairs at the secretariat with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair.
Keeping this end in view, the government has undertaken a plan for adopting new policy on the payment of such official allowance, he said, adding the next budget is expected to see the reflection of it.
Apart from widening of the beneficiary coverage, the government has taken necessary steps to strictly monitor and evaluate the selection of beneficiaries and payment of allowances, taking previous experiences of anomalies into account.
About the anomalies, the social welfare minister said the beneficiaries under the government's social safety-net programmes were selected in political consideration during the regime of the past four-party alliance government.
Against this backdrop, the government has already directed the authorities concerned for making fresh lists of beneficiaries.
Responding to a query, Mr. Enamul Huq said the local parliament members, upazila chairmen and elected female upazil vice-chairmen will look into the selection and disbursements of such allowances.
"The disbursement process of allowances under the government's social safety-net schemes will be restricted for making it more time-bound and target oriented," he said.
Earlier, the allowances were disbursed under the auspices of the local 'gram sarkar', he added.
When asked whether or not the new lists of beneficiaries would be completed before the next budget, the minister said, " If not, we will start the process of raising the allowances and number of beneficiary by updating the exiting lists."
About the unemployment allowance, he said new job opportunities will be created for the unemployed persons.
Among other safety-net programmes, the past caretaker government enhanced the monthly rate of Old Age allowance to Tk 250 for the 2008-09 fiscal year from the previous year's amount of Tk 220 while the number of beneficiaries was also increased to 2.0 million from 1.7 million, official sources said.
Besides, the allocation for the old-age allowance was also enhanced to Tk. 6.0 billion in the FY 2008-09 from Tk. 4.49 billion in the previous fiscal.
On the other hand, the caretaker administration also enhanced the monthly rate of Allowance for the Wounded Freedom Fighters by 20 percent at all levels and raised the allowance for the Insolvent Freedom Fighters from Tk. 600 to Tk. 720 for the 2008-09 fiscal.
The monthly rate of allowance for the Insolvent Persons with Physical Disability has been increased to Tk 250 in the current fiscal from the previous year's Tk 220. And the allocation for the programme has been increased to Tk 60 million from Tk 50 million previously.