Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin has announced that five more products will be added to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh’s (TCB) product list from November.
The new items include tea, salt, detergent, and two types of soap.
He made the announcement on Monday at a meeting held at the Commerce Ministry’s conference room on the selection and activation of TCB beneficiaries.
Administrators from Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Narayanganj, and Gazipur city corporations, as well as additional deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers from surrounding districts, attended the meeting.
The government provides about Tk 5,000 crore in subsidies to run TCB operations, which helps maintain market stability, Sheikh Bashir Uddin said. “The addition of these five new items to TCB’s sales program will offer further relief to low-income people and help control inflation,” he added.
The adviser stressed the need for officials to ensure that one crore (10 million) beneficiaries are properly selected. “No poor household should be left out of the social safety net,” he said, adding that doing so would help Bangladesh progress toward becoming a welfare-oriented state. He also emphasized ensuring that the TCB’s Smart Family Cards reach genuine beneficiaries—those who are poor and vulnerable.
Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman noted that identifying the right beneficiaries remains the main challenge and that city corporations’ activities have been somewhat slow. “Now that the problems are clear, we expect faster progress,” he said.
Officials were also briefed on the latest figures regarding the TCB’s Smart Family Card program. Currently, 6,034,316 cards are active, while 339,454 remain pending activation.
Other speakers at the meeting included Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Ejaz, Additional Secretary (Export) Md. Abdur Rahim Khan, and TCB Chairman Brigadier General Mohammad Faysal Azad.
