Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to visit Feni on Thursday to inaugurate several government programmes, including the Family Card and Farmer Card initiatives and the Tk1,542.16-crore rehabilitation project of the Muhuri-Kohua Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation Project.

It will be the prime minister’s first visit to Feni since taking office. He will join daylong programmes in Parshuram and Fulgazi upazilas.

The visit comes as the pilot phase of the Family Card programme, one of the government’s electoral pledges, has been completed. The government now plans to expand the programme on a larger scale, with nationwide distribution targeted in phases.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will hand over Family Cards to 10 beneficiaries at a programme at Fulgazi Government Pilot High School ground in the afternoon. A total of 510 women-led disadvantaged families in Feni will receive Family Cards.

The programme will also provide special grants to 100 distressed people, 50 poor and meritorious students, 30 people suffering from cancer, kidney disease, liver cirrhosis, paralysis, heart disease, leukaemia and thalassaemia, and 20 people with disabilities.

The Family Card programme began on 10 March this year with a pilot scheme in 14 upazilas. It was later expanded in three phases to 55 upazilas. The government launched the initiative 21 days after assuming office.

Social Welfare Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said the pilot phase helped identify the strengths and weaknesses of the programme and that necessary changes had been made after a review over the past two months.

“Regular and large-scale implementation is now being prepared,” he said, adding that the Family Card programme would begin its regular operation in Feni before being expanded on a larger scale after 15 October.

Farmer Card programme

The government is also launching the pilot phase of the Farmer Card programme today, with 43 lakh farmers targeted for coverage this year.

On the opening day, 110,165 farmers in 77 agricultural blocks across 77 upazilas in 56 districts are being brought under the programme. Of them, 100,047 farmers will receive Tk2,500 each as agricultural input assistance.

The programme targets landless, marginal and small farmers. Medium and large farmers will not be covered at this stage.

Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid said the government plans to gradually extend the Farmer Card to all farmers across the country over the next two and a half to three years.

Nearly 19.5 lakh farmers have already been included in the database, according to the ministry. Each eligible farmer will receive Tk2,500 once a year as financial assistance.

Muhuri-Kohua project

After the monsoon break, the government is also resuming its river and canal re-excavation programme.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the first phase of the Tk1,542.16-crore rehabilitation project of the Muhuri-Kohua Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation Project at Ghatghar in Parshuram.

The project, approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on 16 June, includes rehabilitation of flood-control embankments, riverbank protection, re-excavation of rivers and water bodies and improvement of irrigation infrastructure. The project is scheduled for completion by 2030.

Under the project, 67.92 kilometres of embankments will be rehabilitated, 11.73 kilometres of riverbanks protected and 83.50 kilometres of rivers and water bodies re-excavated. Twenty-seven irrigation structures will also be rehabilitated and 77 inlets or sluice gates constructed.

State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad said the project would help address flooding, waterlogging and irrigation problems in Feni.

The Water Resources Ministry has taken 110 projects this year to excavate and re-excavate rivers, canals and water bodies. In the past six months, 377 kilometres of waterways have been re-excavated against a target of 360 kilometres.

The government has set a four-year target of excavating or re-excavating around 14,000 kilometres of rivers, canals and water bodies.

Rooftop solar power

The prime minister will also inaugurate the supply of electricity to the national grid from rooftop solar systems installed on government buildings in Fulgazi, Parshuram and Chhagalnaiya.

The systems have a combined capacity of about 962.5 kilowatts.

Honorariums for religious workers

At the Fulgazi programme, the prime minister will also distribute honorariums to imams, muezzins, khadims and people working at other religious places of worship.

Under the programme, 256,074 religious leaders and service workers will receive monthly honorariums during the 2026–27 fiscal year. The government has allocated Tk1,100 crore for the programme.

The beneficiaries include workers from 82,656 mosques, 3,000 temples, 752 Buddhist monasteries and 301 churches.

PM’s Feni itinerary

According to the schedule, the prime minister will leave his residence by road at 8:30am and reach the Ghatghar-Muhuri Bridge area in Parshuram at around 12:30pm. He will inaugurate the Muhuri-Kohua project and exchange greetings with local residents.

At 1:15pm, he will leave Parshuram for Begum Khaleda Zia Women’s College in Fulgazi and attend a tree-planting programme there at 1:30pm.

At 2:00pm, he is scheduled to go to the Fulgazi District Council Dak Bungalow, where he will inaugurate the rooftop solar power supply to the national grid.

At 3:00pm, he will attend the programme at Fulgazi Government Pilot High School ground, where he will distribute Family Cards and Farmer Cards and provide honorariums to religious workers.

The prime minister is scheduled to leave Feni for Dhaka by road at around 5:00pm and reach the capital at about 9:00pm.