Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to inaugurate the Family Card programme in Bogura Sadar Upazila on March 10, Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said today.

Speaking to reporters this morning in his hometown Dinajpur, Zahid provided details about the upcoming launch.

The government is set to launch the pilot phase of its Family Card programme on March 10 with the ultimate aim of gradually bringing two crore families under monthly cash support.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the four-month pilot in 14 upazilas, where eligible families with at least five members will receive Tk 2,500 a month through direct transfers to their mobile wallets or bank accounts.

During the pilot, 6,500 families will be covered, with the scheme expanding nationwide in phases.

If fully implemented, the programme, a key election pledge of the BNP, would cost about Tk 5,000 crore a month, roughly Tk 60,000 crore a year.

It will potentially become the largest social spending commitment in the country’s history. The projected annual allocation would amount to nearly 12 percent of this fiscal year’s revenue target.