Monthly Tk 2,500 to Be Given to Female Family Heads

In a major move aimed at poverty alleviation and social security, the government has proposed to distribute a monthly allowance of BDT 2,500 to female heads of households through the newly introduced Family Card program. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury placed the proposal during the presentation of the national budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year in the Jatiya Sangsad at 3:00 PM on Thursday.

Delivering his budget speech, the Finance Minister highlighted that the primary target of the government's social safety net programs is to bring all citizens under a life-cycle-based protection framework to reduce poverty, minimize inequality, and ensure inclusive national development. He noted that the core philosophy of this framework hinges entirely on achieving economic empowerment and self-reliance.

"Through our social safety net programs, we want to build a discrimination-free, humanitarian, and welfare-oriented state. To achieve this, the government has adopted several initiatives, such as our signature project, the 'Family Card Program,' designed to guarantee social protection and the economic empowerment of women. The Prime Minister officially inaugurated the operations of this project within less than a month of forming the government. Under this initiative, the female head of a household will receive a monthly allowance of BDT 2,500." — Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Finance Minister

The Finance Minister added that the Family Card operations will be gradually expanded across the entire country by the year 2030, noting that a pilot phase of the program has already commenced. For the upcoming fiscal year, the government has proposed an allocation of BDT 14,500 crore to distribute Family Cards to 41 lakh women. Concurrently, the state's existing old-age allowances, as well as allowances for widows and deserted women, will be fully continued.

Beyond women's economic empowerment, the newly placed budget introduces specialized welfare provisions for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities. The Finance Minister announced that senior citizens aged 65 and above will be granted completely free travel on national trains, alongside a 25 percent discount on all metro rail fares.

Furthermore, the government has planned to expand the total number of general disability allowance beneficiaries to 38 lakh individuals, setting their monthly allowance at BDT 1,000. For students with disabilities, the total number of allowance recipients will be elevated to 1 lakh, with their monthly student stipends structured between BDT 1,000 and BDT 1,400 depending on their respective academic tier.