DHAKA, May 08, 2020 (BSS) – A webinar titled “Targeting Covid-19 Relief
Payments in Bangladesh” was held today.
The event was jointly organized by Overseas Development Institute (ODI),
Yale University MacMillan Center, Youth Policy Forum and Dhaka Tribune, a
press release of Access to information (a2i) said.
The seminar was organized online to address some important issues
regarding relief payment targeting in Bangladesh during Covid-19 crisis and
provide answers to the frequently asked questions, the release added.
Anir Chowdhury, policy adviser of a2i, working on government’s Covid-19
response, participated in the event as a speaker. Mushfiq Mobarak, professor
of Economics, Yale University, Sabina Rashid, dean and professor, James P
Grant School of Public Health and Asif Saleh, executive director, BRAC, were
also among the panelists
Maria May, senior programme officer, Financial Services for the Poor, Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation and Mark Miller, director of Development and
Public Finance Programme, ODI moderated the webinar.
During the panel discussion, Policy Adviser of a2i Anir Chowdhury
discussed the government initiatives under the existing Social Safety Net
Program in Bangladesh along with the ministerial interventions for food
support.
The speakers in the webinar said the coronavirus pandemic has affected the
livelihoods of the poorest citizens in Bangladesh.
The implementation of lockdowns and social distancing policies has
rendered income-less the vulnerable groups depending on daily wages, they
said, adding that similarly, the day laborers in Bangladesh are facing the
same scenario and are in need of urgent monetary help.
To help them survive, the government of Bangladesh has pledged to assist 4
million vulnerable families with cash, they added.
The webinar recognized the power of mobile technology for both targeting
and money transfer.