The government formulated the National Social Security Strategy Paper (NSSS) in 2015 to improve the social security system in Bangladesh. Its main purpose was to bring hundreds of social security programs into seven to eight major programs.
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But it did not happen and its implementation is slow. Many programs are too small. There is not much time allotted in these. Meanwhile, it is difficult to know the exact number of beneficiaries in this sector. The allocation made by the government in this sector is showing more than 3 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
If basic social security programs are taken into account, the allocation will not exceed 1.5 to 1.6 percent of GDP. In fact, the tendency of the government is to make this sector bigger.
The sector is in a very bad condition in the country. Very few people know the true picture. There are 123 topics or programs under this circle, which have no meaning. But there was more before. There are 23 to 24 ministries and departments responsible for their implementation.
It is a rare occurrence in the whole world from both the subject and the department in charge. On the one hand, the allocation for social security is being shown in the education budget, the same allocation is being shown in the health budget. Who knows if the government is doing this because it has achieved such a high GDP growth rate with so little revenue.
Considering the countries that have gained a reputation in this regard, it is seen that there are no more than six to seven programs. In the NSSS made in 2015, we also mentioned some of them including old age allowance and disability allowance. It was said that there would be a Management Information System (MIS) through which the whole work would be implemented.
We are actually far from doing MIS and doing those seven to eight basic social security programs. So much so that the government is mentioning the name of the program, it is seen that many programs are in name only. As a result, the people of the country are confused about the entire cost and benefits of social security.
