The Postal Department's mobile financial service Nagad will disburse the daily wages to 150,000 workers under the Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest (EGPP) scheme of the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry.
A tripartite agreement has been signed by the Directorate of Disaster Management, the Directorate of Bangladesh Post and Nagad Limited in this regard recently. Md Atiqul Haque, director general of Disaster Management Directorate, and Sheikh Aminur Rahman, chief business officer of Nagad, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.
Tanvir Chowdhury, deputy general manager of Nagad, along with other higher officials from both organisations, were present during the signing ceremony, says a Nagad press release.
Under the initiative, the daily wages of almost 146,000 workers from 114 upazilas of 18 districts and three divisions of the country will be deposited into their Nagad wallets. Each worker will receive a remuneration of BDT 400 per day under the programme.
In 2022-2023, these otherwise unemployed hands will receive 80 days of salary in two instalments into their Nagad accounts. Cash-out fees will be covered with this disbursed amount, allowing the beneficiaries to conveniently withdraw this money from the nearest Nagad 'Uddokta' point at no cost, reports UNB.
The EGPP is administered by the Directorate of Disaster Management. The programme is one of the government's initiatives to guarantee social security, through which the impoverished and the functional workforces are provided with financial stability. The programme additionally contributes to rural infrastructure development, including construction, maintenance, renovations, roads, drainage system, maintaining market cleanliness, etc.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Sheikh Aminur Rahman said, "Nagad has disbursed several government social safety allowances since its inception. In this sense, we are unwavering in our commitment to maintaining openness. We believe, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has entrusted us because Nagad has excelled at the disbursement of all types of allowances."