Poor people will get food under VGF plan during Ramadan

Talha Bin Habib

The government has decided to provide food to the poor under Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme during the upcoming month of Ramadan, officials said.

Apart from the ongoing programme of Open Market Sales (OMS) of rice and ata (flour) in the capital, the food assistance through VGF will be provided to the vulnerable people at all the unions of the country, said a high official of the Directorate General of Food.

"We are going to provide rice to the VGF card holders at all union levels during the Ramadan so that the poor people could not suffer for food," Director General (DG) of the Directorate General of Food Mr Ahmad Hossain Khan told the FE Saturday.

Under the VGF programme food is provided to low income and other vulnerable groups who cannot meet basic needs for survival due to natural disasters or socio-economic conditions, such as old age, illness and disease.

Mr Khan said that there are about 1,000 VGF card holders at every union of the country who are entitled to receive rice under the government's food security programme.

"A card holder from each family will get rice between 15 and 20 kgs before the Eid-ul- Fitr," he mentioned.

He said that, apart from the VGF programme, the government is also considering to provide rice and ata (flour) to the fair price card holders during the holy month

The DG of the Directorate General of Food has said as part of government's social safety net programme, about 200 trucks are engaged in selling rice and ata (flour) under OMS programme at different areas in the capital.

Under the programme, a person could purchase five kgs of rice and five kgs of ata (flour) at a time. The price of per kg rice is Tk 24 while per kg ata (flour) is Tk 20.

Asked whether the government has any plan to expand the ongoing OMS programme in different areas of the country following the huge responses from the lower income group of the people during the month of fasting, he said, "The matter depends on price stability of rice and ata (flour). If price soars in the retail market then the government will increase the number of trucks for selling rice and ata (flour) in different areas of the country during the Ramadan".

He said that the government has taken up various safety net programmes to ensure social security of the poor people that include Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Open Market Sales (OMS), Cash for Work (CFW), Food for Work (FFW), Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) and Gratuitous Relief (GR).

Besides, people over 65 years and unable to work or do not have family support receive allowances through a programme introduced by the government.

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