From next November, five new products will be included in the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) list. These are—tea, salt, detergent, and two types of soap.
On Monday (September 29), at a meeting on beneficiary selection and smart family card activation held at the Ministry of Commerce, Trade Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin disclosed the information.
He said the government spends nearly Tk 5,000 crore annually in subsidies to operate TCB’s activities. Adding these new products will bring relief to low-income families and help control inflation.
Highlighting the government’s target of bringing one crore genuine beneficiaries under TCB coverage, he urged officials to take proactive measures. Currently, TCB has 60,34,316 active smart family cards, while another 3,39,454 cards are awaiting activation.
Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said identifying the actual beneficiaries remains the biggest challenge. Alongside, city corporation activities are moving a bit slowly. However, he expressed hope that these issues would be resolved soon.
The meeting was also addressed by Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Ejaz, Additional Secretary (Export) Md. Abdur Rahim Khan, and TCB Chairman Brigadier General Mohammad Faishal Azad.
👉 The trade adviser directed visible progress within the next month regarding beneficiary selection and card activation nationwide.