NATIONAL
All cards will be combined to make a "Universal Card", says PM Tarique
|NUTSHELL TODAY DESK
1:21
In a Nutshell:
- PM made announcement at parliament's closing budget session Wednesday.
- Krishak, Family, Probashi, and imam-muezzin honorarium cards will be combined.
- All will be brought under one card called Universal Card in phases.
- He said benefits are state's duty to citizens, not charity.
Why it Matters
The government rolled out these cards separately as election pledges, each tied to a distinct group of beneficiaries. Folding them into one card is a shift from launching schemes to consolidating them, and signals the delivery machinery is being streamlined rather than expanded further.
What We Think
Rolling out four or more separate cards first and then merging them into one raises a fair question, why not build a single system from the start. The phased approach may reflect political reality, each card was its own promise to its own constituency, easier to announce individually than as one abstract scheme. Whether the Universal Card simplifies things for citizens or just adds another migration step depends entirely on how the transition is handled.
