The government is going to start fair price rice selling at Tk 10 per kilogram from September 7 to make rice available to 50 lakh extreme poor families across the country as per the election pledges of the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the programme at Chilmari in Kurigam at 10 am on September 7, Food Minister Qamrul Islam told reporters at a briefing after the meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) under the Ministry.
The Minister said that the committee has given its nod to the new programme of the government to ensure sufficient food supply to the ultra poor people. Only the selected card holders will get 30 kg of rice every month through village ration dealers at a rate of Tk 10 per kg. The 50 lakh ultra poor families will get rice for five months – September, October and November in first phase while March and April in second phase – under the ‘Food Friendly Programme for the Ultra Poor’.
Qamrul said the government wants to provide food support to the extreme poor families during the crisis period so that they do not suffer for food crisis. At the same time, the government’s election pledge to decrease rice price at Tk 10 per kg can be fulfilled with the decision.
The government will need around 7 lakh metric tonnes of rice in a year to continue the programme. An upazila level committee, led by local Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), has selected the beneficiaries of the programme. Local union parishad chairmen are also its member.
He said the authorities concerned have already appointed the dealers for the programme. A dealer for every 500 families has been appointed.
The families that headed by the widower or disabled woman will be given priority in the programme, he added.
He also said that from now onward, the government will allocate money instead of food grain for test relief (TR) and gratuitous relief (GR) programmes of the government.
The decision was taken considering the demands of the MPs, who are facing problems to sell the food grain, which are allocated for different government programmes. At present, they need to sell the grain in low price. If the government gives them money, the project implementation work will get new pace, the Minister said. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain attended the meeting among others.
