The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh will begin selling essential commodities at subsidised rates to one crore families using smart cards from January 2025, aiming to prevent registration of multiple beneficiaries within the same family.
At present, all one crore family cardholders are receiving essential commodities at subsidised rates, with 57 lakh of these having been converted to smart cards, with the remaining 43 lakh currently undergoing conversion, the state owned corporation said at a press briefing held at its regional office in the city on Saturday.
TCB joint director and public relations officer Md Humayun Kabir said that the information was updated and verified and any irregular cards found in the process would be cancelled.
鈥榃e have sent several letters to the district administration and city corporation, requesting information on the remaining cards, including any necessary modifications, additions, deletions or corrections as some complaints about TCB鈥檚 family card have been raised by the media,鈥� he said.
Humayun said that due to recent administrative changes, the TCB was yet to receive the information of 43 lakh cards.
Currently, the TCB is selling 20,000 tonnes of lentils, 2 crore litres of edible oil and 10,000 tonnes of sugar per month.
The state-owned corporation will also add 10,000 tonnes of chickpeas and 1,500 tonnes of dates during the month of Ramadan, he said.聽
Humayun said that in addition to supplying products to one crore cardholders, the TCB was selling products to poor people without cards across the country and it was also working with the labour ministry and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association to provide products to garment workers.
In preparation for the upcoming Ramadan, the fasting month for Muslims, the TCB was making advance arrangements to procure products through both foreign imports and local purchases, he informed.
Humayun, also the spokesperson for the TCB, said that the corporation currently had about 8,250 dealers, though several complaints had been raised regarding the dealers in the current situation.
TCB would follow a zero-tolerance policy against any complaints and letter has been sent to the district administration to reinvestigate the ongoing dealers,聽he said.