Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md. Zahid Hossain. File Photo

SANGSAD BHABAN, June 14, 2026 (BSS) - Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md. Zahid Hossain today said in Jatiya Sangsad that the government’s Family Card Programme has emerged as a significant milestone in ensuring food and nutrition security for poor and disadvantaged people across the country.

Replying to a starred tabled question from treasury bench member Sheikh Md. Rezaul Islam of Naogaon-6 in the Jatiya Sangsad, the minister said the Family Card Programme, being implemented under the Ministry of Social Welfare, plays a vital role in strengthening the country’s social safety net and improving the living standards of vulnerable households.

He said the present government introduced the programme based on the philosophy that “the family, not the individual, is the fundamental unit of development,” aiming to guarantee citizens’ right to social protection.

The minister informed the House that Family Cards have already been distributed in several unions under a pilot project. Following the completion of a nationwide survey in the 2026-27 fiscal year, the government will begin distributing Family Cards across the country, including in the upazilas under the Naogaon-6 constituency.

He said the government has set a target to bring an additional 40.20 lakh people under the programme during the next fiscal year. “As a result, genuinely poor families in Naogaon-6 and other parts of the country will gradually be included in the scheme,”

Zahid Hossain said the number of beneficiary families in each area will be determined through the Proxy Means Test (PMT) scoring method, which will help identify eligible households and ensure that social protection benefits reach the most deserving families.

He noted that the PMT-based selection process would enhance transparency and efficiency in beneficiary identification, enabling the government to extend assistance to those most in need.
The minister reiterated that the government’s ultimate goal is to build an inclusive welfare state by ensuring food security, nutritional support and social protection for poor and marginalized families across the country.