Department of Social Services

The Department of Social Services is prioritizing a transition to a technology-driven, transparent welfare delivery system via the 'Family Card' to eliminate corruption and intermediaries.

DSS was established on 2 January 1961 under the Government of East Pakistan, initially under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; the Shamajseba Bhaban headquarters in Dhaka was inaugurated in 1999. Current Social Welfare Adviser (minister-equivalent in the interim government) is Sharmeen Murshid, confirmed active as of May 2026 across multiple BSS/Dhaka Tribune sources. DG Md. Saidur Rahman Khan held the post through at least December 2025; BSS reported his promotion to secretary-rank (posted to Disaster Management and Relief Ministry) in January 2026, but no confirmed successor name was found in public sources as of this verification date -- head_since is left null and DG name reflects last confirmed appointment pending official dss.gov.bd update. Old Age Allowance figures are precisely split: 5,995,000 beneficiaries at Tk 700/month and 205,000 aged above 90 at Tk 1,000/month, summing to 6.2 million total; confirmed by TBS, BSS, and Daily Star citing the Advisers Council Committee decision. Digital beneficiary pilot upazila names (8 total) are verified against TBS primary reporting: Mehendiganj, Shyamnagar, Tahirpur, Gauripur, Taraganj, Niamatpur, Ramgarh, Kapasia. Family Card pilot expanded from original 8-upazila committee plan to 14 upazilas at launch (10 March 2026); covers approximately 40,000 households; Tk 2,500/month; PMT-based; female-headed. FY2026-27 proposed safety net total of Tk 35,708 crore is system-wide across all ministries, not DSS-specific; DSS-specific allocation not disaggregated in available public budget documents. staff_count and DSS-specific annual_budget_bdt not found in public sources; left null.