Dhaka, Feb. 23 -- In Bangladesh today, countless mothers skip meals so their children can eat-a quiet sacrifice that reflects a deeper crisis of poverty, inflation, and insecurity. Nearly 28 per cent of the population now live below the poverty line, with about 9 per cent in extreme poverty. Food inflation has hovered above 10 per cent, eroding household purchasing power, while 16 million people face acute food insecurity and more than 1.6 million children suffer from malnutrition. This is not only a moral concern, it is a policy failure. Against this backdrop, the Family Card is not merely another welfare scheme-it is a structural reform with the potential to unify fragmented safety nets into a sustainable pillar of social justice.

Bang...