Tk 10 per kg rice for 8.47 lakh families in Rangpur division

570

RANGPUR, Sept 7, 2018 (BSS) – More than 8.47 lakh beneficiary families
are getting rice at Taka 10 per kilogram in Rangpur division under ‘The food-
friendly programme’ aimed at making rice available for the ultra poor at a
very low price.

“Every card holder beneficiary family is getting 30 kilogram rice monthly
at Taka 10 per kilogram for five months during the lean seasons annually
under the programme,” Rangpur Regional Controller of Food Raihanul Kabir told
BSS today.

Under the epoch-making food friendly programme, more than 25,411 tonnes of
rice is being sold to the card holder beneficiaries of all eight districts
under Rangpur division every month.

The beneficiary families are getting rice at Taka 10 per kilogram for
September, October and November now after getting the same for March and
April early this year.

“The programme has been running smoothly bringing relief to the ultra poor
during the five-month lean periods every year since September 7, 2016 when
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally launched the initiative under the
social safety net scheme,” Kabir said.

The female-led families, widows, divorced or abandoned women and poor
households with children, who are not beneficiaries of other social safety-
net programmes, were given priority during beneficiary selection process.

Under the programme, eight lakh 47 thousand and 43 card holder beneficiary
families of 534 unions under all 58 upazilas in eight districts of Rangpur
division are getting the rice at Taka 10 per kilogram through 1,473 appointed
village ration dealers.

“A total of 256 ration dealers have been appointed to sell the rice in
Rangpur, 194 in Gaibandha, 205 in Kurigram, 131 in Lalmonirhat, 250 in
Nilphamari, 239 in Dinajpur, 92 in Panchagarh and 106 in Thakurgaon districts
in the division,” Kabir said.

Over 1.45 lakh card holder families of Rangpur, 1.11 lakh of Gaibandha,
1.41 lakh of Kurigram, 58,730 of Lalmonirhat, 1.32 lakh of Nilphamari, 1.36
lakh of Dinajpur, 50,466 of Panchagarh and 67,070 families of Thakurgaon are
getting the opportunity.

“The sale of rice at Taka 10 per kilogram is continuing now in full swing
under strict supervision,” Kabir said adding that stern actions would be
taken for malpractice and irregularities, if any, in the process.

Talking to BSS today, District Controller of Food for Rangpur Shajahan
Bhuiyan said the 7-member union level beneficiary selection committee, headed
by an upazila level government official as its Tag Officer, completed the
beneficiary selection process.

The other six members of the union level beneficiary selection committee
are: local union chairman, two union parishad members, union parishad
secretary and two local elite persons.

After selecting the beneficiaries, the union level committees placed the
prepared lists before the 9-member upazila level committees for final
scrutiny, correction, replacement and approval.

The upazila level committee, with Member of the Parliament of the local
constituency as its Chief Adviser and Upazila Chairman as Adviser, approved
the selected beneficiaries and also appointed the village ration dealers for
selling the rice.

The other members of the upazila level committee are: Chairman- Upazila
Nirbahi Officer, Members- Upazila Agriculture Officer, Upazila Social Service
Officer, Upazila Statistics Officer, Projecjt Implementation Officer and an
upazila Vice-chairman and Member-secretary- Upazila Food Officer.