Allowance for the Widow and Husband Deserted Women

Allowance for the Widow and Husband Deserted Women is introduced during the fiscal year 1998-99 through the Department of Social Services under the ministry of Social welfare. In that time 4 lakh 3 thousand 110 women were paid 100 tk. as monthly allowance. The program was assigned to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs from the Ministry of Social Welfare in the financial year 2003-04.

In order to bring greater adaptability in the implementation process of this program, the present government again lodged this program in the Ministry of Social Welfare in the financial year 2010-11. This program, initiated by the present government, has been successfully enacted by the Department of Social Services. Under this program, this number was increased to 32972 people in Sherpur district in the financial year 2020-21 and the monthly allowance per person was 500 taka.

 After relocating this program to Social welfare Ministry in last 6 years hundred percent success is achieved in allocating allowance for the Widow and Husband Deserted Women. In last two years measures are taken to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the program to make it acceptable for all walks of life such as revision of implementation manual, inclusion of Local MPs and other public representatives in the selection process of beneficiaries and formulation of database. 

Implementing Office:

District Social Services Office, Sherpur

Commencing year of this program:

1998-99, fiscal year

Aims and Objectives of this program:

1. Socio-economic expansion and social security for widows and husband abandoned women.

2. Heighten their status in family and society;

3.Intensify their morale through monetary contributions;

4. Extend financial aid to reinforce medical supplies and nutrition

Definition:

Under This Allowance program, widow means, ‍a woman whose husband is dead and Husband Deserted means, a woman  who is divorced from her husband or does not live with her husband or has no contact for two years or more for any other reason.

Standards of Candidate selection:

(A) Citizenship: The candidate must be a permanent citizen of Bangladesh.

(B) Age: Age should be above 18 (eighteen) years. But, priority should be given to the most senior women.

(C) Health status: The highest priority should be given to the person who is physically disabled or completely non-functioning.

(D) Socio-economic status:

(1) In case of financial status: The destitute, the refugees and the landless should be given priority in a gradual manner.

(2) In the case of social conditions: Those who are childless, unhealthy and isolated from families should be given more priority.

(E) Land Ownership: Landless candidate has to give priority.  He will be considered landless if he has 0.5 acres or less land except household.

Terms and conditions for beneficiary:

1. Be a permanent resident of the area concerned;

2. Must have birth registration / national ID card;

3. Priority shall be given to the elderly helpless and afflicted widow or the women who are deserted by their husband;

4. A woman who is poor, helpless, almost landless, widowed or homeless and has two children below the age of 5, will be prioritized in getting the allowance;

5. Among the impoverished, the needy, the widow, and the abandoned wife, the disabled and the sick will get more importance in getting allowance.

6. Annual average income of the candidate must be Tk. less than 12,000/=tk.

7. Must be selected by the selection committee.

Upazila wise statistics:

Sr. No.

Number of beneficiary till 

2020-21 financial year

Sherpur Sadar Upazila

Nakla Upazila

Nalitabari Upazila

Jhenaigati Upazila

Sreebordi Upazila

Sherpur Municipality

In total

Chronological increase in allowance: