Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday told Parliament that the government’s planned Family Card and Farmers’ Card programmes will not increase inflation or create pressure on the national budget, but instead strengthen the rural economy and generate employment.
Responding to a supplementary question from National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Md Abul Hasnat (Hasnat Abdullah) from Cumilla-4, the Prime Minister said the two initiatives are being designed as long-term investments to support low-income households and farmers.
He said the government plans to gradually bring four crore families under the Family Card programme and around 2.75 crore farmers under the Farmers’ Card scheme.
“No government in the world can implement such a large programme at once,” he said, adding that the process requires extensive data collection and phased implementation.
The Prime Minister said marginalised and vulnerable families will be prioritised in the first phase, while the budget allocation and number of beneficiaries will be expanded step by step.
“According to our calculations, there is no reason for this programme to put pressure on the budget,” he said.
Tarique Rahman also made it clear that the initiative will not be financed through printing additional money. “We will not print money to fund this programme,” he said, adding that this approach will help keep inflation under control.
He described the Family Card programme as a form of state investment that will help reduce inflation rather than increase it. “It will promote local industries and create employment,” he added.
The Prime Minister said a review of existing social safety net programmes found that some individuals are receiving multiple benefits. The government plans to rationalise these overlaps gradually without disrupting essential services.
“We will not cut all programmes. Only repeated benefits will be adjusted, and that too in a phased manner,” he said.
He also noted that the current total financial assistance under different safety net schemes is lower than the proposed Tk2,500 allocation per Family Card.
Highlighting the economic impact, Tarique Rahman said beneficiaries are expected to spend the funds on essential goods such as clothing, books for children and daily necessities, most of which are locally produced.
“The people who receive this support do not spend on luxury items. They buy essentials made in local factories,” he said.
He added that such spending would circulate within rural economies, benefiting small businesses and contributing to job creation.
“This will help build local industries and create employment opportunities,” the Prime Minister said.
Reaffirming his position, he said, “Our assessment is that inflation will not rise; rather, it will decrease,” expressing confidence that the programmes will strengthen economic stability while expanding social protection.
