Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina early last month inaugurated the "Food-Friendly Program" in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram, under which 5 million selected ultra poor across the country are to get 30kg of rice a month from selected ration dealers during September-November and March-April at a heavily subsidized price of Taka 10 per kg. The months have been chosen as work is difficult to find during these periods of the year.
The ultra-poor families were supposed to be listed by the local elected representatives. There can be no disputing the very sound intention driving the program. Bangladesh has been doing bumper harvests successively and enjoying grain sufficiency, but most of the ultra poor in the population are unable to buy rice, the basic staple, at market prices. This is a reality. Thus, government's subsidized sell rice to the extremely poor could not have come sooner. The government is giving Taka 23.50 subsidy for each kilo of rice.
Unfortunately, this well intentioned program appears to be in haywires. Media reports profusely bring to light ineffectiveness and corruption. First of all, the government administration was ignored in selecting dealers for the program. The dealerships went mainly to supporters of members of parliament (MPs). Food officials could not check the dealers' profiles. The dealers in turn selected beneficiaries.
Therefore, in many cases the beneficiaries are found to be not well deserved recipients from among the ultra poor but those preferred by MPs. Allegations are aplenty that in many cases rice meant for the poor are going to relatively well-off people who have the ability to buy rice at market prices. There are also serious allegations that in some cases the dealers are lifting rice from government warehouses but not selling those to the ultra poor at all.
We believe there is still time to correct the flaws and put back on rails a program that is otherwise meritorious in its objective. For doing this, the government should be resolved to free it from corruption, favoritism and politicization. Lists of beneficiaries may be revised ensuring that this is done incorruptibly through impartial dealers at local levels and also associating representatives of the ultra poor with the process.
So far, the dealerships of only 44 people have been cancelled for irregularities that are but a few among a far bigger number of offenders. Clearly, government has nothing to lose but everything to gain by reviewing this program comprehensively and redesigning it amply in time.
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