CPD proposes Tk 300bn cash aid transfer for 19mn households in Bangladesh

The Centre for Policy Dialogue or CPD has proposed a direct transfer of a total of Tk 300 billion in cash to 19 million households hit by the shutdown over the coronavirus outbreak.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 13 April 2020, 10:52 PM
Updated : 13 April 2020, 10:52 PM

It made the proposal in a media call on its initial assessment of public policy interventions, and food and income security of the marginalised people on Monday.

The amount proposed by the CPD is about 1 percent of the GDP and can be distributed in monthly aid of Tk 8,000 for two months to each household. The monthly financial assistant is close to the lower poverty line, for a family of four members in current prices.

Senior Research Fellow Towfiqul Islam Khan made the keynote presentation at the media briefing on behalf of CPD’s flagship programme Independent Review of Bangladesh’s Development.

The vulnerable groups and marginalised communities are relatively more exposed to the threat of COVID-19 pandemic, but many of them do not get any social protection benefits, CPD said in a statement after the briefing.

It is necessary to bring in a comprehensive stimulus package, particularly for vulnerable households as daily wage earners and workers of informal sectors are critically suffering from the economic slowdown, it said.

Towfiqul said an in-built technology induced mechanism can be put in place to implement the proposed cash transfer programme. It will help the government to reduce “leakages and avoid selection bias and control corruption”, he suggested.

The event began with introductory remarks by CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun who said ensuring transparency is a must for effectiveness of the incentive programmes announced so far.

She urged the government to come up with concrete allocation for the vulnerable groups so that they can survive during the COVID-19 crisis.

CPD Distinguished Fellow Professor Mustafizur Rahman and Research Director Khondaker Golam Moazzem were also present at the event and took questions from the media.