Urban poor largely left out of social protection

Even though urban poverty and vulnerability continue to rise,
towns and cities account for only one-fifth of the total beneficiaries of
government social protection schemes, according to a paper presented at a
national conference on social protection yesterday.
Besides, nearly half of extremely poor households in the country receive no
social protection benefits. The exclusion rate for extremely poor households in
urban areas is nearly 64 percent, much higher than the national average.
"This leaves the urban poor and vulnerable groups
underrepresented in the safety net schemes," said Mohammad Abdur Razzaque,
chairman of Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID), presenting
the paper at the National Social Protection Conference at the Bangladesh-China
Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.
The
Cabinet Division and the General Economics Division hosted the event with
assistance from Australian Aid and UNDP.
Razzaque said Bangladesh's social protection programmes remain heavily
rural-focused despite rapid urbanisation and the continuous influx of people
into cities.
For
instance, education stipends at both the primary and secondary levels
overwhelmingly benefit rural households. The same is true for allowances
targeting widows, deserted women, persons with disabilities, and elderly
citizens. In most of these schemes, more than 80 percent of recipients are
rural, he added.
The
exceptions are pensions for retired government employees and allowances for
freedom fighters, where urban households have a larger share compared to other
programmes. Even then, rural beneficiaries remain significant, he said.
"Historically, social safety nets in Bangladesh were originally designed
to reduce rural poverty, hunger, and vulnerability stemming from natural
disasters. However, with growing challenges of joblessness, housing insecurity,
and rising living costs in cities, the lack of urban-focused safety nets is
increasingly seen as a policy gap."
Razzaque
said there are about 23 schemes specifically designed for the urban poor, but
they accounted for just 4 percent of the total social protection budget in the
last fiscal year.
In
comparison, about 50 programmes designed for rural areas only accounted for 27
percent of the total social protection budget. The rest of the schemes cover
both rural and urban areas.
A
substantial share of poor and vulnerable households remains entirely excluded
from social protection programmes, he said.
"The
poverty impact of social protection is low due to the lower level of benefits
and targeting errors," said Razzaque, urging the government to take
effective steps to eliminate the errors.
Mohammad
Khaled Hasan, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division, said the government
is planning several steps to include the urban poor under social safety net
coverage.
At the
event, Md Rezaul Maksud Jahedi, secretary of the Local Government Division,
said, "We have 560 urban centres, including 330 municipalities and city
corporations.
The
population in these areas is increasing every day. People are moving to cities
after being hit by various natural disasters and river erosion."
As a
result, ensuring health and sanitation for slum dwellers in cities has become
very complex, he added.
"We
are currently spending about $1 billion annually to ensure social protection,
health, and environmental security in these centres. Yet, our actual need is $7
to $8 billion. We also have plans to work for the urban poor."
















