Allowance for elderly people raised to Tk 165

At the same time, the age limit of the beneficiaries has been raised to 65 from 57.

About two lakh more elderly people will be added to the scheme this fiscal, the minister said at a press conference.

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Quoting the Population Census of 2001 by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), he said the country now has a total of 80.49 lakh elderly people and his ministry has selected 12 lakh, half of them are women, for the allowance.

The minister, however, admitted that the money given to each person is not enough.

This money is a token of support for the elderly, he added.

The minister said his ministry has allocated Tk 237.60 crore for themonthly allowance this fiscal.

Those who are physically- and mentally-challenged and suffering prolonged illnesses will be given priority during the distribution of money.