Bangladesh poor to get cash, not rice, wheat for Test Relief, Food for Work schemes

The government will give public representatives cash from now on instead of rice or wheat to implement Test Relief (TR) and Food for Work programmes for the poor.

Food Minister Qamrul Islam says the government is making the arrangements 'for the benefit of the MPs' following the decision to launch the programme to provide rice at Tk 10 per kilogram.

The minister revealed the decision on TR and Food for Work (Kajer Binimoye Khadyo - KaBiKha) after a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee at the Secretariat on Sunday.

The government was providing the poor with 850,000 tonnes of rice and wheat under these programmes annually, according to Qamrul.

The minister said the MPs' work will be 'clearer and better' if they get the money worth the food grains.

"It will be more useful and easier for the MPs if they get the cash directly instead of getting the allocation in rice and wheat, and sell them to collect money for the work," he said.

Local government's development projects used to be implemented through the TR and KaBiKha projects under which the poor were paid in food grains through the public representatives of the local government bodies. The allocation for the public representatives was provided through the MPs.

The public representatives had been alleging that the MPs intervened in the project work though they did not have the option to directly participate in the programmes.

The MPs demanded cash instead of food grains for these projects in Parliament earlier this year. Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya assured them of steps over their demand.

After the meeting on Sunday, Food Minister Qamrul said five million families will get 30 kg rice at Tk 10 a kg every month from Sep 7 under the new programme.

He said 750,000 tonnes of rice will be needed for the scheme.

The government will not have to buy rice for the programme separately if the TR-KaBiKha workers are paid with cash, he added.

Defending the decision to provide cash, the minister said, "The price of rice will drop naturally once the ultra-poor get the rice (under the new scheme). The work (in TR, KaBiKha) will also get faster once they (workers) get cash."

Asked if the decision was prompted by Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu's remarks that all the money in these projects gets 'stolen', Qamrul said, "No, no, why are you bringing this issue up? I've given a clear explanation."

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and Disaster Management Minister Maya, among others, were present at the meeting.