Countrywide special VGF kicks off in a few days
Friday, 14 August 2009
S M Jahangir
A countrywide special vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme kicks off within the next few days, providing about 10.06 million poor families with enhanced food security during the holy month of Ramadan, official sources said.
The government has already stepped up efforts to complete the distribution of rice among selected beneficiaries by August 20, aiming to help the poor people reduce their vulnerability to food.
Another objective of the special programme is to help prevent any price hike of the main staple during the fasting month, said the official.
The ministry of food and disaster management has allocated around 108,786 tonnes of rice for launching the special VGF programme across the country.
"The allocated rice has been delivered to the district levels… We have also set August 20 as the deadline for completing the foodgrain distribution process," a senior official of food and disaster ministry told the FE Wednesday.
The ministry had sent the new guidelines on the VGF to all the authorities concerned for successfully carrying out the special programme, the official said.
Earlier, all the district and local administrations were advised to complete the selection of beneficiaries and distribution of cards among them, the official mentioned.
According to the guidelines, some 2000 beneficiaries of every union parishad (UP) will once get 10 kilogramme (kg) of rice.
However, each of 2200 cardholders of every union parishad in five 'monga'-prone districts will receive 20 kg of rice under the VGF scheme, official sources said.
They also mentioned that more than 9.09 million beneficiaries of 4501 union parishad will come under the special programme while the number will be 0.96 million under the paurashava areas.
The authorities have already divided the monga-affected paurashavas into three categories, under which the number of beneficiaries will be 5000 for 'A' category paurashavas, 3000 for 'B' category and 2000 for 'C' category one.
On the other hand, the number of beneficiaries under the monga-prone paurashavas will be 6500, 4500 and 3500 for the said categories respectively, said the ministry officials.
Earlier, the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit at its last July 8 meeting took the decision to launch the special VGF programme as past of government's current 'social safety-net programme'.
Chaired by the Food and Disaster Minister Abdur Razzak, the meeting was also attended by Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury and senior officials of the ministries concerned.
A countrywide special vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme kicks off within the next few days, providing about 10.06 million poor families with enhanced food security during the holy month of Ramadan, official sources said.
The government has already stepped up efforts to complete the distribution of rice among selected beneficiaries by August 20, aiming to help the poor people reduce their vulnerability to food.
Another objective of the special programme is to help prevent any price hike of the main staple during the fasting month, said the official.
The ministry of food and disaster management has allocated around 108,786 tonnes of rice for launching the special VGF programme across the country.
"The allocated rice has been delivered to the district levels… We have also set August 20 as the deadline for completing the foodgrain distribution process," a senior official of food and disaster ministry told the FE Wednesday.
The ministry had sent the new guidelines on the VGF to all the authorities concerned for successfully carrying out the special programme, the official said.
Earlier, all the district and local administrations were advised to complete the selection of beneficiaries and distribution of cards among them, the official mentioned.
According to the guidelines, some 2000 beneficiaries of every union parishad (UP) will once get 10 kilogramme (kg) of rice.
However, each of 2200 cardholders of every union parishad in five 'monga'-prone districts will receive 20 kg of rice under the VGF scheme, official sources said.
They also mentioned that more than 9.09 million beneficiaries of 4501 union parishad will come under the special programme while the number will be 0.96 million under the paurashava areas.
The authorities have already divided the monga-affected paurashavas into three categories, under which the number of beneficiaries will be 5000 for 'A' category paurashavas, 3000 for 'B' category and 2000 for 'C' category one.
On the other hand, the number of beneficiaries under the monga-prone paurashavas will be 6500, 4500 and 3500 for the said categories respectively, said the ministry officials.
Earlier, the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit at its last July 8 meeting took the decision to launch the special VGF programme as past of government's current 'social safety-net programme'.
Chaired by the Food and Disaster Minister Abdur Razzak, the meeting was also attended by Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury and senior officials of the ministries concerned.