The government is set to finalise the draft of National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) this month by incorporating some new provisions including giving pension to the citizens above 60 years and strengthening the ongoing social safety net programme (SSNP).
The Planning Commission has already prepared the draft NSSS. It will now go to the cabinet this month for approval, sources said.
The draft NSSS seeks to check corruption and political influence and strong monitoring and proper coordination among the government ministries and divisions for right selection of the poor for ensuring their benefits under SSNP.
The poor and ultra-poor people are not properly getting benefits of the SSNP especially the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) and Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest (EGPP) mainly due to mismanagement, corruption and lack of coordination among the ministries and divisions on the implementing process.
"We have prepared the draft. We hope it will go to the cabinet this month for approval," member of General Economic Division of the Planning Commission Dr Shamsul Alam told the FE.
He said the NSSS is prepared in light of the government's ongoing efforts to alleviate poverty.
Besides, it stresses the need for addressing the issues related with the child, old citizens and the destitute through providing them with different types of work under the social safety net coverage.
The government will provide financial assistance to two children of each poor family for supporting their study.
He said to ensure the poor's welfare under the newly drafted NSSS, the government will prepare a database of the poor. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) will start preparing the database of the poor people.
The NSSS suggests streamlining the process of selecting the vulnerable (poor) people for getting the benefits under SSNP for their betterment.
It also suggests formulation and implementation of a coordinated social safety net programme based on the light of rights, preparation of flawless lists of poor people at unions, pourashavas and city corporations.
"We will prepare the database of the poor of the country by BBS," the Planning Commission official said.
The NSSS also suggests implementation of all social safety net programmes of different ministries and divisions in a more coordinated way.
Poverty in the country declined over 15 per cent in the past one decade. It reduced to 25.6 per cent in 2014. Out of the total figure 12.4 per cent are ultra poor.
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