One crore people to get special cards to buy essentials: PM

PBC News:  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the government will provide special cards to one crore people so that they can purchase some essential commodities at lower prices.

“We’ve targeted one crore people. We will provide them with special cards so that they can buy some essential items at fair prices,” she said while chairing a meeting of Awami League-led 14-party alliance at her official residence Ganobhaban here.

Hasina, also AL president, said her government is taking measures to keep the prices of daily essentials under control during the upcoming Ramadan.

She said some 50 lakh people have already been given the cards to buy rice at Tk 10 per kg.

“We’ll extend support to additional one crore people by providing special cards so that they could purchase essential items at fair prices,” she said.

The prime minister said the 38 lakh people who got financial support from the government during the Covid-19 pandemic will be included in the one crore people.

Noting that the government has enough food in stocks, she said still it has 18 lakh metric tonnes of food grains in stock and there is no problem here.

Hasina urged the people of the country to increase crops production. “Not a small piece of land should be left uncultivated in order to fulfill our food demand,” she said.