Enhancing Good Governance in Pandemic: Reality and Challenges of Social Safety Net Programs in Bangladesh

"Enhancing Good Governance in Pandemic: Reality and Challenges of Social Safety Net Programs in Bangladesh"

Tanjil Ahmed 

The present world is going through a terrible time. Horrific coronavirus has already broken all the records of the 21st century. So far, the death toll from the coronavirus has already exceeded 3.44 lakh (3, 44,235) where more than 54.20 lakh (54, 20,106) are infected and 22.54 lakh (22, 54,893) are recovered in worldwide (worldometers, 24 May 2020). Billions of people are directly or indirectly affected. In all low-income and low-middle-income countries, the economy, education, health, tourism, business, domestic and foreign trade have collapsed. Bangladesh, an example of a rapidly advancing economy in Southeast Asia, has not escaped the scourge of coronavirus. The number of cases of coronavirus has been increasing at a geometric rate since it was identified in Bangladesh last March. In the 1st the month of coronavirus outbreak (March 08 to April 08) 164 people were infected, 17 were dead and 33 were recovered where 4,249 suspected cases were tested; in the second month (April 08-May 08) 12,261 people were infected, 182 were dead and 1877 were recovered where 1, 01,264 suspected cases were tested too and the latest 15 days survey is even grimmer (May 09 to May 23) where 19,653 people are infected, 253 are dead and 4,576 are recovered. The number of infected people has increased 119.83 times in the last 15 days as compared to the 1st month and the number of deaths has increased 17 times. In this situation, the suffering and misery of the lower and middle-income people of the country have increased to the extreme.

In this pandemic, at the discretion of the Honorable Prime Minister, maximum efforts are being made to ensure food security and reduce health risks for marginal and lower and lower-middle-income people under the Social Safety Net Programs (SSNPs refers to the programs mainly undertaken by the state to assist the poor and the disadvantaged of the community-banglapedia).   In this case, e-governance is more strongly helping to ensure good governance in the country. 

 

In the 2017-2018 financial year, the revised budget allocation was tk. 48,524 crore for Social Safety Net Programs which was 13.06% of the total budget and 2.17% of the total GDP. Besides, in 2018-2019 fiscal year, SSNPs budget was tk 64,177 crore which was 13.81% of the total budget and 2.53% of the total GDP. And In this financial year 2019-2020, 74367 crore taka has been allocated for SSNPs which is 14.21% of the total budget and 2.58% of the total GDP (Finance Division, Ministry of Finance).

 

At present, 125 SSNPs are ongoing under the supervision and authorization of 25 ministries in Bangladesh. Such SSNPs are classified into 3 categories- unconditional transfer for food, cash; conditional transfer for food, cash, credit and subsidies, and an emergency fund for housing and rehabilitation (socialprotection.gov.bd). 

 

Among these, most common programs are old age allowance, allowances for the widow, vulnerable group feeding (VGF), vulnerable group development (VGD), food for work (FFW), work for money (WFM), disaster management, street children rehabilitation program, one house one farm, social security policy support (SSPS) programs, and so on which are working to cooperate with various local and national problems including pandemic coronavirus for the help of marginalized, poor and helpless low-income people.

 

It is to be noted that soon after the outbreak of coronavirus in Bangladesh, numbers of programs & projects have been taken and initiated under the SSNPs in collaboration with various ministries. These are the School Feeding Program project which distributes nutritious food for 30 lakh primary school students; a cash disbursement program of tk. 2500 to 50 lakh families; provide 17,866 crores in the budgetary support to the underprivileged people; 3,000 crore loan program for low-income professionals, farmers, and marginal and small traders without collateral; supply of 6,000 tons of food grains under social security project; provide direct cash assistance to about 50 million people; health protection project for 1.1 million Rohingya refugees; distribution of 74,000 metric tons of rice worth tk. 251 crore at 10 tk. per kg under OMS project; allowance of tk. 615 Crore for widows and old age under Social Security Program and allotment of tk 9,500 crores for agricultural subsidy etc.(The Daily Star). 

 

All these programs and activities of the government under SSNPs are undoubtedly commendable. But there are various obstacles in the implementation of these programs and activities. Notable obstacles are local-level corruption, improper relief distribution, nepotism based relief, and allowances list, lack of communication, political biases, lack of subsidy, lack of monitoring, lack of evaluation, lack of sustainability, lack of skilled manpower, poor relief scheme, etc. 

 

However, intending to ensure good governance & execute SSNPs properly, government, ministries, and other concern authorities should focus on proactive e-governance practice for fixing all levels corruption through increasing G2G, G2C, and G2B communication; should ensure the proactive performance of all digital centers at the local level like UDCs (Union Digital Centers), UICs (Upazila Information Centers) and PDCs (Powro Digital Centers); should strictly ensure local representative accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness through active monitoring and evaluation system; should remove political biases through the exercise of democracy; should focus on special disadvantage groups when providing VGD, VGF, and other allowances; should foster coordination and cooperation; should increase the use of ICT tools when proving services to the beneficiaries for ensuring transparency and should increase sector-based subsidies for ensuring proper distribution of reliefs, etc. 

 

It may be assumed that, the situation after the coronavirus outbreak will be more difficult and challenging for everyone as well as every sector of the country. So, it is high time to launch and execute SSNPs effectively to minimize the suffering of the backward sections of the society for ensuring the socio-economic balance and managing the upcoming challenges in Bangladesh. 

 

The writer is Prime Minister Gold Medalist and Student of the Department of Public Administration and Governance Studies at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Trishal, Mymensingh.