🛑 Shortfall in Social Safety Net: 38 Lakh Family Cards Undistributed, Leaving 1.5 Crore Poor in Need
The system designed to provide affordable goods to the poorest families in Bangladesh is facing a major crisis: nearly 3.85 million ‘Family Cards’ remain undistributed or inactive, denying essential subsidies to an estimated 15 million poor citizens.
The reality is stark for families like Ayub Ali’s, a resident of Araihazar Upazila in Narayanganj. Once a rickshaw puller, a physical ailment now prevents him from continuing his work. He attempts to earn a living as a hawker near his home, but it’s not enough, forcing his wife to work in other people’s houses. Despite their severe financial hardship, Ayub Ali’s family has repeatedly failed to obtain the crucial Family Card.
> Ayub Ali shared his frustration: “When the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) first started distributing the Family Card, I asked for one, but I didn’t get it. I still haven’t received it. During the previous government, I went after leaders, members, and chairmen many times, but I didn’t get a card. Now there are no members or chairmen, so who do I go to? The leaders are busy giving cards to their party people.”
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The Failure of the Family Card Scheme
The ‘Family Card’ system was introduced in 2022 with the aim of bringing order to product sales and ensuring that subsidized goods reached 10 million eligible families. Initially, 10 million cards were issued to direct beneficiaries. With the Ministry of Commerce counting four beneficiaries per card, the program was intended to cover 40 million poor people.
However, the collapse of the Awami League government on August 5th of last year led to widespread allegations of massive irregularities in card distribution.
* The Review: The interim government decided to investigate the distribution process. After extensive scrutiny, 5.7 million hand-written cards were converted into smart cards in early November last year. The remaining 4.3 million cards were canceled, and local governments were asked to submit new beneficiary information.
* The Current Gap: TCB’s latest figures show that out of the target of 10 million Family Cards, only 6.15 million are currently active. This leaves 3.85 million cards inactive, effectively depriving 15.3 million poor people (at four per card) of the government subsidy.
Poverty Rises, Aid Delivery Falls Short
The failure to distribute these cards comes at a time when poverty is spiking:
| Metric | 2022 | Current (2025) |
|—|—|—|
| Poverty Rate | 18.7% | 27.93% |
| Total Poor People | 31.7 Million | 50 Million |
| People Receiving TCB Aid | N/A | 24.7 Million |
| Deprived Poor People | N/A | 15.3 Million |
(Source: PPRC Study & TCB data)
Blame Game: Bureaucracy vs. Monitoring
TCB officials cite several reasons for the cancelled cards, including duplicate cards within the same family, multiple cards linked to the same phone number, inactive phone numbers, and the death of cardholders.
* TCB’s Stance: Md. Shahadat Hossain, TCB Spokesperson and Deputy Director (Commercial), stated that the primary reason for the slow replacement of cancelled cards is the sluggish pace of information submission from local governments (Upazila, District, and City Corporations).
* Government Push: Officials from the Ministry of Commerce are optimistic that the remaining cards will be replaced by December. The Commerce Advisor has already met with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and City Corporation administrators, directing them to expedite the data submission process.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Vice President S M Nazer Hossain criticized the TCB for doing a “perfunctory job.”
> Nazer Hossain asserted: “It is true that there are issues due to the absence of members and chairmen in many places. But that is no excuse for failing to distribute 38 lakh cards in an entire year. If they monitored properly and pressured the local government, the cards would have been issued by now. Distributing these cards would bring relief to 15 million people in this expensive market.”
38 Lakh Family Cards Undistributed
