[🇧🇩] Family, Farmer & e-Health Cards

[Saif]

PM Tarique Rahman to launch ‘Farmer Card’ from Tangail on 14 April

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Farmer Card preparing cell held at the Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon with the Prime Minister in the chair, said Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman.

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PM Tarique Rahman to launch ‘Farmer Card’ from Tangail on 14 April

BSS
Dhaka
Published: 17 Mar 2026, 22: 24

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chaired a meeting of the Farmer Card preparation cell at the Secretariat on 17 March 2026. PMO

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the much-anticipated ‘Farmer Card’ programme on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh from Tangail Sadar upazila on Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla New Year (April 14).

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Farmer Card preparing cell held at the Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon with the Prime Minister in the chair, said Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman.

According to him, the PM will distribute the cards among farmers in the upazila. The government is set to roll out the cards under a pre-piloting initiative as part of implementing its electoral commitments.

The programme will be launched simultaneously in 11 upazilas, including Tangail Sadar, on Pahela Baishakh.

In the first phase, financial assistance will be disbursed to 21,500 farmers in these areas through mobile banking services.

Ruman said the card will be provided to farmers and farm operators in the agriculture, fisheries, and livestock sectors. It will function as a banking debit card as landless, marginal, and small-scale farmers will receive an annual incentive of Tk 2,500 to purchase agricultural inputs.

Through the card, farmers will be able to buy fertiliser, seeds, pesticides, and animal feed, he added.

Apart from Tangail, the programme will also cover Panchagarh Sadar and Boda upazila of the district, Shibganj in Bogura, Shailkupa in Jhenaidah, Nesarabad in Pirojpur, Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, Adarsha Sadar in Cumilla, Islampur in Jamalpur, Goalanda in Rajbari, and Juri in Moulvibazar.

Officials concerned believe the proposed ‘Farmer Card’ will help establish a reliable identification system for farmers across the country. It is also expected to ensure more transparent and efficient distribution of agricultural subsidies, loans, seeds, and fertilisers.

The meeting also discussed the use of modern technology for digital data storage and management of farmers’ information.

The Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to gear up the process to prepare the ‘Farmer Card’ to ensure modern and integrated services for farmers across the country.

Tarique Rahman stressed on creating a comprehensive database of farmers, ensuring direct delivery of subsidies and incentives, and simplifying agricultural services through digital systems.

Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid, State Minister Sultan Salauddin Tuku, Prime Minister’s Adviser for Finance and Planning Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, LGRD and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam and Prime Minister’s Adviser for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and Science and Technology Rehan Asif Asad as well as senior officials of the concerned ministries were present at the meeting.​

 

[Saif]

Will Family Card actually lift the poor or sink the economy?

The first and most pressing concern that arises from this programme is the fiscal sustainability that it requires.

www.thedailystar.net

Will Family Card actually lift the poor or sink the economy?

18 March 2026, 00:09 AM

Md Deen Islam

The announcement of the Family Card programme, which promises a Tk 2,500 monthly allowance for vulnerable families, has been celebrated as a landmark initiative in the government’s efforts to deliver on a major election promise. On the surface, it is a heartwarming initiative that seeks to help millions of people escape poverty. Even though the intention behind the programme is admirable, the government’s haste in rolling out the programme without a clear economic strategy or a comprehensive review of the existing social protection programmes threatens to undermine the very foundations of the economy that it seeks to strengthen.

The first and most pressing concern that arises from this programme is the fiscal sustainability that it requires. The government has indicated plans to expand this programme to include some two crore families by 2030. This means that it will cost the government approximately Tk 60,000 crore annually. This amount is a major part of the country’s Annual Development Programme (ADP) that goes into building roads, bridges, power plants, etc. The government’s capacity to generate revenue is limited, with a tax-GDP ratio that remains one of the lowest in the world. Additionally, a huge and ever-expanding share of the national budget is already locked into inflexible commitments, such as the interest payments on the national debt and power sector subsidies. This leaves a very narrow fiscal space for a new, recurring commitment.

To finance the family card at the intended scale, the government might have to make difficult trade-offs. It cannot cut the salaries and benefits of its employees, so the funds for the card are likely to come from somewhere else: the human capital, including the education and health budget, or the ADP for physical capital. Reducing the education and health budget will be a short-sighted solution as it will undermine the country’s growth potential. Similarly, the ADP cannot be deprived of funds, as this will only slow down the growth of the country’s infrastructure, which, in turn, will slow down the growth of the economy’s capacity to produce goods and services.

In addition to the macroeconomic considerations, the design of the family card programme also poses questions about its efficacy. Bangladesh already has some 140 social protection programmes running under 26 ministries, but they have been roundly criticised for their inclusion and exclusion errors. The process for the family card programme is also prone to similar problems and may fail to include those who deserve to benefit most from the initiative. If the money is transferred to those who are not actually poor, then the programme’s ability to combat poverty will be reduced to nothing but a waste of public money.

Furthermore, discussions on the family card have been almost exclusively on the potential benefits of the programme with little attention paid to the opportunity costs. Perhaps the funds could be better utilised for programmes that have a long-term rate of return, such as those that combine early childhood nutrition with effective communication and skill trainings. A recent study conducted on the long-term impact of cash transfers in Bangladesh found that while cash transfers give a temporary reprieve from poverty, a combination of cash and complementary services like nutrition education may result in a long-term solution to poverty.

Ultimately, the family card is a litmus test for good economic management. Launching a scheme of this nature without a dedicated source of finance, without streamlining existing welfare programmes, and all the while lacking a proper and transparent mechanism to ensure that funds are channelled to the right people, is fiscally irresponsible. The government needs to treat this as an opportunity to reform the overall structure of social welfare web, not just add another layer of inefficiency to an already crumbling system.

Dr Md Deen Islam is professor of economics at the University of Dhaka and research director at Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID).​

 

[Saif]

16.5m farmers will receive cards, offering 10 types of benefits

The government has decided to bring farmers under the card system to make subsidies, loans, and incentives more accessible to them in the agriculture sector. Over the next four years, the government will distribute these farmer cards to 16.5 million farmers. Fishermen and dairy farmers will...

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16.5m farmers will receive cards, offering 10 types of benefits

Inauguration of Farmer Card on Pahela Baishakh. Initial estimated cost is Tk 6.81 billion over four years

Mostafa Yusuf
Dhaka
Updated: 22 Mar 2026, 23: 09

Symbolic image Graphic: Prothom Alo

The government has decided to bring farmers under the card system to make subsidies, loans, and incentives more accessible to them in the agriculture sector.

Over the next four years, the government will distribute these farmer cards to 16.5 million farmers.

Fishermen and dairy farmers will also benefit from the card. Through this, the BNP government aims to end structural deprivation for farmers.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, a farmer will initially receive 10 types of benefits under this card. These benefits include access to agricultural inputs at fair prices, government subsidies, government incentives, irrigation facilities at fair prices, agricultural loans on easy terms, agricultural insurance benefits, the ability to sell agricultural products at fair prices, agricultural training, weather information, and advice on pest and disease control.

Under this card, farmers can buy fertilizer according to the amount of land they own, which the Department of Agricultural Extension hopes will curb excessive use of fertilizers on agricultural land. If there is any other card for receiving allowances, it will be brought under this card. However, the exact method of distributing benefits through this card has not yet been finalised, and tests are being conducted in several sub-districts.

One of the main objectives of this initiative is to recognise farmers and ensure their dignity. Each farmer will be provided with a bank account at Sonali Bank. In the first phase, 21,000 landless, marginal, and small farmers will be included-------Prime Minister's Adviser on Finance and Planning, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir.

Prime Minister's Adviser on Finance and Planning, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, told Prothom Alo that one of the main objectives of this initiative is to recognise farmers and ensure their dignity. Each farmer will be provided with a bank account at Sonali Bank. In the first phase, 21,000 landless, marginal, and small farmers will be included.

He mentioned that ownership of less than 5 decimals of land qualifies one as landless, ownership of 5 decimals to 49 decimals qualifies as marginal, and ownership of 50 decimals to 249 decimals qualifies as a small farmer.

The Prime Minister's Adviser stated that the card will contain 45 types of information about the farmer, ensuring that the financial incentives are spent on agriculture.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension have said that as part of issuing the farmer card, data collection is ongoing in 10 agricultural blocks in 10 sub-districts. The data collection work is expected to be completed by April. Subsequently, the farmer card will be tested with all farmers in 15 sub-districts. Additionally, work is ongoing to categorise farmers as small, landless, marginal, medium, and affluent based on their income, land ownership, and financial status.

When asked, Agriculture State Minister Sultan Salauddin Tuku told Prothom Alo that the card will ease the disbursement of government incentives, allowances, and subsidies to farmers. The farmer card will be inaugurated on the upcoming Pahela Baishakh (14 April) in line with agricultural culture.

The farmer card was one of the promises in the BNP's election manifesto. The BNP has committed to introducing this card as part of a fundamental transformation in the agriculture sector. The manifesto highlights short-sighted policies, institutional corruption, and limited use of modern science and technology as reasons for the lagging agriculture sector.

As part of the election promise, the BNP government has already waived agricultural loans up to Tk 10,000. On 26 February, the cabinet meeting waived loans in the crop, livestock, and fisheries sectors, amounting to Tk 1,5.50 billion, benefiting at least 1.2 million farmers.

Issues like artificial shortages, corruption, or irregularities could arise in providing subsidies on fertilizer and diesel at fair prices. Often, in the absence of proper local-level oversight, genuine farmers may face the risk of getting deprived. Additionally, if the technological infrastructure, data management, and coordination between various departments are not properly managed, the effectiveness of this initiative could diminish.

The Department of Agricultural Extension states that there are 16.5 million farmer families in the country. The initial estimated cost of the farmer card is Tk 6.81 billion over four years, but the cost may vary once everything is finalised.

Through the farmer card, the government aims to modernise agricultural management, increase overall farmer income, boost the production of staple crops, diversify agriculture and food production, reduce cultivation costs for farmers, improve the marketing process of agricultural products, and ensure transparency in the distribution of all types of subsidies (financial and agricultural inputs).

The government's decision to distribute farmer cards to 16.5 million farmers is a significant initiative. However, there could be several challenges in its implementation. Firstly, correctly identifying the farmers could pose a major problem. In many cases, outdated lists of genuine farmers might lead to non-farmers or intermediaries trying to access the benefits--------Professor of Economics at Dhaka University, Selim Raihan.

A good initiative, but challenges exist

The Executive Director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) and Professor of Economics at Dhaka University, Selim Raihan, told Prothom Alo that the government's decision to distribute farmer cards to 16.5 million farmers is a significant initiative.

However, there could be several challenges in its implementation. Firstly, correctly identifying the farmers could pose a major problem. In many cases, outdated lists of genuine farmers might lead to non-farmers or intermediaries trying to access the benefits.

Ensuring the proper delivery of the benefits via the card is also a major challenge, noted Selim Raihan. Issues like artificial shortages, corruption, or irregularities could arise in providing subsidies on fertilizer and diesel at fair prices. Often, in the absence of proper local-level oversight, genuine farmers may face the risk of getting deprived. Additionally, if the technological infrastructure, data management, and coordination between various departments are not properly managed, the effectiveness of this initiative could diminish.

To ensure the success of this initiative, Selim Raihan advised the government on several effective steps, including creating an accurate and digital database of farmers to identify genuine farmers, implementing transparent verification processes at the union and sub-district levels, and ensuring strict supervision and accountability in the distribution of fertilizer, diesel, and other subsidies.​

 

[Saif]

How e-Health Cards can improve patient care in Bangladesh

In line with its electoral commitment, the BNP government has initiated steps to introduce the national e-Health Card by June this year.

www.thedailystar.net

How e-Health Cards can improve patient care in Bangladesh

28 March 2026, 12:00 PM

Syed Abdul Hamid

'With proper implementation, the e-Health Card initiative has the potential to make Bangladesh’s healthcare more integrated, efficient, and accessible to the population.' VISUAL: Afia Jahin
In line with its electoral commitment, the BNP government has initiated steps to introduce the national e-Health Card by June this year. It is an important step towards building an effective, modern and integrated healthcare system, the need for which experts have long emphasised, and which the Health Sector Reform Commission recommended.

If implemented properly, a unique e-Health Card could make the country’s healthcare system more efficient, transparent, and accountable. It could improve the quality of healthcare services, ensure continuity of care, and strengthen accountability within the system. In particular, it would enable more effective use of patients’ previous medical histories in diagnosis, control fraudulent patient registrations, establish an effective referral system, introduce family-based defined service packages, and monitor healthcare utilisation and expenditure.

In many countries, citizens are issued either a physical or digital e-health card. These cards usually contain the patient’s name, photograph, health identification number, and a QR code. Healthcare facilities can quickly scan the card to retrieve patient information and access medical histories from electronic health record systems. As a result, healthcare delivery becomes faster, more accurate, and better coordinated.

However, questions may arise regarding the design of such a document: whether it should be a standalone card or whether existing identification numbers, such as the national ID or birth registration, should serve as the unique health identifier. Both approaches have advantages and limitations.

Global experience suggests that in most countries, national identification or birth registration numbers are not used as health identifiers. Instead, a health identification number is created specifically for use within the healthcare system. The main reasons for this approach are to protect personal privacy, ensure data security, and improve the efficiency of health information management. In such systems, national ID or birth registration numbers are generally used only during the registration process for identity verification while a separate health ID is used to manage patient information in hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic laboratories.

Under India’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, citizens receive an Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) with a 14-digit health identification number that links patients’ medical information across various hospitals and healthcare institutions. Similarly, in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), every patient is assigned an NHS number, which is used to identify individuals when they access healthcare services. In contrast, some countries, such as Estonia, which have highly advanced digital infrastructures, have integrated the NID number with health information systems. These systems also rely on robust data protection and cybersecurity mechanisms.

However, the most widely accepted approach is to create a dedicated health identification number for and use it on e-Health Cards to protect personal privacy, enhance the security of health information systems, and allow inclusion of individuals who may not yet have NID documents, such as children or other vulnerable groups.

Regardless of the specific card format, introducing an e-Health Card is not merely a card distribution programme; it requires a comprehensive digital health ecosystem with several key components.

First, an electronic medical record (EMR) system is required to digitally store patients’ medical histories, diagnostic tests, medications, and follow-up information. Second, a shared integrated health information platform is needed so that healthcare institutions at different levels—community clinics, union health centres, upazila health complexes, district hospitals, and specialised hospitals—can securely exchange necessary patient information. Third, hospital automation is an important component of this system. To manage hospitals or health facilities digitally, adequate technological infrastructure is required. This includes sufficient computers and other hardware, reliable high-speed internet connectivity, secure servers and data storage systems, and uninterrupted electricity supply. Considering the past uncertainties in electricity and internet services in our country, backup power solutions such as generators or solar energy systems should also be ensured.

In addition, skilled human resources are essential for the effective operation of digital systems. Each health facility should have trained personnel responsible for information management, software operation, and routine maintenance. At the same time, physicians and other healthcare workers must receive appropriate training so that the digital system simplifies their work rather than creating additional burdens.

Ensuring data security and privacy is also crucial for the successful implementation of the national e-Health Card system. Since health data is highly sensitive, strong cybersecurity measures and clear policies governing the storage and use of patient information are necessary. The success of this initiative will also depend largely on governance structures and financing mechanisms. Effective coordination between the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) is essential as healthcare and family planning services are currently managed through separate administrative systems.

At the same time, a strong data governance framework is needed to protect patients’ personal health information and establish clear rules and accountability for data usage. Without ensuring privacy and cybersecurity, public trust in the system cannot be achieved. Equally important is realistic planning for sustainable financing. Producing e-Health Cards alone will not be sufficient. Long-term funding must be secured for infrastructure development, recruitment, training, system maintenance, and regular technological upgrades.

To ensure successful implementation, several practical steps may be taken. Pilot projects could be launched in selected districts to test different components of the digital health system. The new system should be effectively integrated with existing health information systems. Meanwhile, the technological capacity of grassroots health facilities should be strengthened gradually.

Public awareness campaigns are necessary for citizens to understand the benefits of using e-Health Cards and be motivated to access healthcare services.

With appropriate infrastructure, skilled human resources, effective governance, and realistic planning, the e-Health Card initiative has the potential to make Bangladesh’s healthcare system more integrated, efficient, and accessible to the population. Now is the time to ensure that the necessary preparations are in place for its successful implementation.

Dr Syed Abdul Hamid is professor of health economics at Dhaka University, convener at Wellbeing-First Initiative Bangladesh (WFIB), and chief adviser at Universal Research Care Ltd.​