Siddique Islam – AHN Correspondent
Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) – Bangladesh government is going to introduce food rationing for the country’s around 2.8 million workers of recession hit garment and allied manufacturing units from May 1.
“We have decided to launch food rationing for garment workers from May 1,” Labour and Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told reporters after a meeting with the BGMEA delegation at the secretariat in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Earlier in February, food minister had said the government would introduce food rationing for the target groups such as workers in garment factories and tea gardens, and rickshawpullers as part its safety net program.
President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Salam Murshedy said they are now taking necessary steps to distribute service books to all garment workers shortly to get food rations.
“We are giving service books, which will be treated as identity cards, to the garment workers for receiving ration,” Murshedy said.
The government might allocate around 500,000 tons of rice for the target people for the year.
However, a garment worker will receive 20 kilograms of rice for a month at a price of BDT 18 a kg.
The program is likely to continue for one year, food ministry officials said.
