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The government has so far provided 2.4 million poor people with a cash assistance of Tk 2,500 each to help them survive the hardship during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the ministry of finance.
The government has a target to provide such assistance to 5.0 million poor families. Around 20 million people will benefit from the scheme, considering that each of the families has four members on average.
The latest figure included the disbursement made on Monday when 27,358 people received the support.
On July 19, the ministry provided the financial supports to 482,662 people who have been facing the hardship due to the pandemic.
The ministry is providing the cash as per the list compiled by the ICT division. It collected data from Upazila levels prepared by the local committees formed with representatives from the district and Upazila administrations, union council chairpersons and members, teachers and influential people.
The government used the poverty map while selecting the people as the areas having highest poverty incidences got priority in the list.
Earlier in May last, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the scheme at Ganabhaban.
The beneficiaries will include rickshawpullers, daily-wage earners, construction workers, farm labourers, salespersons, employees of small businesses, poultry workers, transport workers, and hawkers.
They are getting the money through mobile financial services like Nagad, bKash, Rocket and SureCash. The government is paying the transaction cost too.
An official at the finance division, who is involved with the process, told the FE that these are truly deserving poor as they disbursed the fund after verifying their identities.
Previously, the ICT division had sent a list of 3.7 million poor families.
But, the finance division data found that many of the people in the lists are not eligible for the cash supports as they were either in government services or financially solvent.
From that list 1.4 million were found eligible and they received the support.
He, however, said that the government may not reach 5.0 million families with the supports. The first disbursement among 5,767 people took place on May 12 last.