Parents Maintenance Act Set for Amendment
Collected Photo
Social Welfare Minister Abu Jafar Md. Zahid Hossain has said the government has taken steps to amend the Parents Maintenance Act, 2013 by revising provisions related to penalties, fines, and imprisonment.
He made the remarks on Sunday while responding to a question from reserved-seat MP Nazmun Nahar during the question-and-answer session in the National Parliament.
“The initiative to amend the Parents Maintenance Act has been taken based on stakeholders’ opinions. The amended law will introduce necessary changes to the provisions concerning the duration of punishment, fines, and imprisonment,” the adviser said.
Responding to a question from MP Fazle Huda of Naogaon-3, the Social Welfare Minister said allegations of political considerations and irregularities had surfaced in the distribution of allowances under social safety net programs in the past.
“In response to those allegations, a nationwide verification drive has begun to identify genuine poor, underprivileged, and eligible beneficiaries while removing ineligible recipients from the lists,” he said.
“To this end, a committee was formed on April 19 under the initiative of the Cabinet Division to re-verify beneficiary lists,” he added.
In response to a question from MP Zainal Abdin of Feni-2, the minister said the country’s elderly population is increasing as life expectancy rises.
During the current fiscal year 2025-26, 6.1 million elderly citizens are receiving a monthly allowance of Tk650 each. The allocation for the program stands at Tk 4,791.31 crore.
For the proposed fiscal year 2026-27, the government has proposed increasing the number of beneficiaries of the old-age allowance program to 6.2 million and raising the monthly allowance to Tk700. The proposed allocation for the sector is Tk 5,239.25 crore.
Replying to a question from MP SM Rafiqul Islam of Gazipur-3, the minister said the government has proposed providing a monthly allowance of Tk700 to 3 million widowed and abused women in the next fiscal year. The proposed allocation for the program is Tk 2,535.12 crore. In the current fiscal year, 2.9 million women are receiving Tk 650 per month.
The government also plans to provide a monthly allowance of Tk 1,000 to 3.8 million persons with disabilities in the next fiscal year. They currently receive Tk 900 per month. The proposed allocation for the program stands at Tk 4,587.36 crore.
Responding to a question from independent MP Mohammad Salman Omar, the Social Welfare Minister said the government has distributed family cards to 69,387 female-headed households in three phases under a pilot project in unions and city corporation areas across 55 upazilas in 44 districts.
He said field-level data is being updated regularly, which will allow the number of beneficiaries to increase further.
