Process of converting TCB cards into smart cards is underway: Minister

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said the government has started the process of converting handwritten TCB cards, issued to low-income families, into smart cards.

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) earlier issued cards to one crore families across the country to provide daily commodities at affordable prices under the Open Market Sale (OMS) programme.

"The pilot work for conversion has been completed in Dhaka North, Narayanganj, and Barishal. All handwritten cards will be converted into smart cards with QR codes, which will eliminate discrepancies in disbursement," the minister said while inaugurating the second phase of the product sales programme, organised by the TCB in the capital's Uttara on Monday. 

A temporary storage facility for TCB products in the Uttara area was also inaugurated at that time.

In this phase, each cardholder is getting one kg of sugar, two kg of lentils, two litres of soybean oil, one kg of chickpeas, and one kg of dates.

On the occasion of Ramadan, the TCB's sales programme has been arranged in such a way that cardholder families can purchase these products twice during Ramadan and before Eid. 

The first phase of the sale began on 9 March and the second phase is expected to be completed by 15 April.

Tipu Munshi said, "There are one crore card-holding families, and if there are five members per family on an average, then five crore people are getting the TCB products. Initially, we took the initiative to provide essential products to 50 lakh people but the prime minister ordered to make it one crore. We are implementing her instruction."

In response to a question as to whether the government is thinking of increasing the number of card-holders to more than one crore, the minister said, "A small number of low-income people, who are not card holders, are coming to us. We are providing products to these excluded people under special consideration."

When asked why the prices are not falling in the market despite having sufficient stock of products, the commerce minister said the Ministry of Commerce does not control the prices of all the products in the market. 

"There is a misconception that price hikes mean that the Ministry of Commerce is involved. Certain products including broiler chicken, meat, and fish are under the purview of other ministries. Still, we are working in coordination with the concerned ministries to keep the prices within the reach of people," Tipu Munshi added.