PM ties welfare delivery to political stability, pledges tough stand on money laundering

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today (17 June) warned that unrest could derail welfare programmes, including Family Card, Farmer's Card and other state-led support, addressing a gathering in Sreemangal, Moulvibazar.

Political stability, he said, was essential to sustaining public services, and he reiterated a hardline stance against money laundering, declaring public wealth must be used exclusively for citizens. The remarks came during his visit to Moulvibazar, where political leaders received him after he arrived in Sreemangal at 1:03pm.

"If they get the opportunity to create unrest in the country, we will no longer be able to distribute Family Cards or Farmer Cards," he said, urging citizens to stay alert and cooperative.  He cautioned that disability support, Family Cards and tax relief on essentials could all be at risk if those seeking instability gained ground.

Tarique declared his government would no longer tolerate the siphoning of public funds abroad. "We will take a tough position from today against those who have laundered money from this country and those who want to siphon off people's money abroad," he said, adding that collective vigilance could prevent capital flight. 

He told the crowd, which included tea workers and locals, that joint efforts would ensure national wealth serves development and welfare. "People's money [will be] used for the country's development and for changing the fate of its citizens. So, there will be no shortage of money, Insha-Allah," he added.

He also paid tribute to his mother Khaleda Zia, saying she had never abandoned the people in difficult times. "We are the soldiers of Khaleda Zia. This country is our home, and we are working for its development," he said.

The prime minister defended the proposed 2026-27 budget, saying it prioritises mothers, farmers, students, persons with disabilities and healthcare through Family Cards, Farmer Cards and related schemes, citing the removal of duties on 60 essentials to ease consumer pressure.

The event, organised by the Ministry of Social Welfare, also marked the inauguration of the third phase of Family Card distribution for tea garden workers in Sreemangal; Tarique personally handed cards to 10 women representing beneficiary families. 

The government plans to scale coverage to 8,000 families per upazila across 600 upazilas within a year; around 150 tea worker families received cards in this phase. Housing assistance of Tk2 lakh each was announced for 50 tea workers, alongside stipends for roughly 150 children of tea labourers and assistance for persons with disabilities.

On the Farmer Card programme, Tarique said agricultural loans and interest liabilities up to Tk10,000 had already been waived for around 1.2 million farmers within a week of taking office, with a nationwide system being designed to reach 4 million farmers annually with one-time support for seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.

He also pledged healthcare reforms: upgrading every 50-bed upazila health complex to 101 beds and installing kidney dialysis machines in all upazila hospitals; and announced school uniforms and bags for primary students from July, noting 2.2 million children recently competed in national sports competitions, with finals at the Army Stadium.