PM launches rice ration programme for poor in Kurigram
Kurigram: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday inaugurated a new social safety net scheme for providing extremely poor families with food ration cards at Chilmari upazila in Kurigram.
Under the programme a card holder would get rice at Taka 10 per kilogram for five months a year during lean season, reports BSS.
About five million poor families would get the food support for the months of March, April, September, October and November every year.
Addressing a rally on the occasion at AU Pilot High School ground the prime minister said the food programme for extremely poor would continue across the country for which special cards would be issued.
The ultra-poor families have been selected through the local public representatives. The months have been selected in view of job scarcity for the day-labourers during lean period.
Besides, female-led families, widows, divorced or abandoned women and the poor households with children were given priority under the food support programme.
Food Minister Quamrul Islam presided over the function while Agriculture Minister Matiya Chowdhury, Cultural affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, State minister for social affairs ministry Nuruzzaman Ahmed, State minister for local government Moshiur Rahman Ranga and Khaled Mahmood Chowdhury, lawmaker and local parliament members addressed the meeting.
Local leaders of Awami League including president of Kurigram district unit Aminul Islam Monju, general secretary M Jafar Alam, president of Chilmari upazila unit Showkat Ali Sarker, Bir Bikram and general secretary Abdul Quddus Sarker also spoke on the occasion.
The prime minister inaugurated the food distribution programme by giving rice to 15 local people.
The government has allocated Taka 2,100 crore for food-support programme to distribute food among poor with Taka 27 subsidy in every kilogram rice, secretary of the food ministry said.