The government has planned to widen the social safety net further in the next budget, aiming to include more of the marginalised and vulnerable people, especially the elderly.
An official of the finance division involved in the budget process said the next fiscal social safety net is likely to extend coverage of old-age allowance and allowance for widow and husband-abandoned women, in 100 highest poverty-stricken upazilas.
In this regard, Tk1,500 crore more fund will be needed, said the official.
In the upcoming budget for 2020-21 fiscal, the outlay of social safety net is to be proposed above Tk76,000 crore, up from Tk74,367 crore in the outgoing fiscal, said sources in finance division. In percentage, it is 2.22 percent rise compared to the size of the social safety net this fiscal.
As per the social welfare ministry, 16.15 lakh more poor will be brought under state protection in the next fiscal.
Mohammad Jainul Bari, secretary of the social welfare ministry, said all insolvent people with disabilities in the country will be brought under the social safety net programmes.
Each year the number of beneficiaries in the social safety net programmes is augmented by 10 percent. But this time, the number of beneficiaries will rise by 20 percent, from fears that more people will go down the poverty line because of coronavirus, said a finance ministry official seeking anonymity.
However, the amount of the monthly allowances will remain unchanged.
A total of 17 lakh widows and women whose husbands have abandoned them are getting Tk500 each per month from the Tk1,020 crore allocated for this fiscal year while 22 lakh such women will receive the allowance at the same rate in the upcoming fiscal year, the allocation being Tk1,320 crore.
In a similar manner, 15.45 lakh disabled people are getting Tk750 each per month this fiscal year. The allocation for the programme is Tk1,350.5 crore. In the upcoming fiscal year, the number will be increased to 18 lakh with the monthly amount remaining unchanged. The allocation for the scheme will be Tk1,620 crore.
The recipients of stipends for disabled students are 1 lakh this fiscal year and the allocation is Tk95.64 crore. The rate is Tk750 for primary level students, Tk800 for secondary level students, Tk900 for higher secondary level students and Tk1,300 for higher level students.
Transgender students get monthly stipends of Tk700 at primary, Tk800 at secondary, Tk1000 at higher secondary and Tk1,200 at higher levels.
Besides, impoverished and disabled transgender people aged 50 and above get monthly Tk600 each in special allowances. There is an allocation of Tk5.56 crore for the current fiscal in this programme that will not change for the next fiscal year as well, said the sources in the social welfare ministry. This year, 5,767 beneficiaries from the transgender community have received such facilities.
Last month, before Pahela Baishakh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the net of 'old age allowance' and 'widow and husband-abandoned women allowance' would be widened to cent percent under the social safety net programmes in 100 highest poverty-stricken upazilas.
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