Safety net for workers inadequate: experts

About 20,000 workers currently receive direct social safety net benefits, which is inadequate to cover even a fraction of the nearly 40 lakh workers in the country's garment industry, let alone the entire workforce — highlighting major gaps in coverage and sparking calls for urgent policy reforms to safeguard employees.

Amid the ongoing structural transformation of the economy, there is a pressing need to design targeted policies that extend social protection coverage to both formal and informal workers, said Abdullah Nadvi, research director at Unnayan Shamannay (UnSy).

He made the remarks while delivering a presentation at a discussion centring on the proposed budget for FY26, styled "National Budget for Social Protection", held at the UnSy office in the capital yesterday.

Nadvi added that while social safety net efforts have traditionally focused on rural, agriculture-dependent households, this approach now requires reevaluation as significant socioeconomic shifts have taken place over the past decade.

According to Abdul Majid Pramanik, joint director at the Rural Development Academy, Bogura, to adapt to climate change, it is essential to allocate funds within social safety net programmes for citizens who are particularly vulnerable.

He also suggested formulating a long-term social protection strategy to address climate challenges, adding that the nearly 1 crore people living in the country's char (riverine island) areas have an urgent need for dedicated social safety net programmes.

He also said that several pilot initiatives — undertaken by both the government and non-government actors — have already shown success in improving the lives and livelihoods of char dwellers, and that scaling up these efforts could ensure more comprehensive protection for these communities.

Farhana Zaman, a professor in the Department of Sociology at Jagannath University, said she has extensive experience working on disaster management and visits the coastal belt whenever the opportunity arises.

"These communities are still food-insecure. The allocation I observed for them was significantly lower than what is actually needed," she said.

Starvation also continues to persist, she added. "Women manage to eat only two meals a day. If their children ask for extra food, they simply cannot provide it. As a result, mothers often reduce their own food intake," she added.

To address this issue, it is essential to develop an accurate database and enhance coordination among the relevant ministries, she said.

Ishrat Sharmin, president of the Centre for Women and Children Studies, believes that special policy attention must be given to improving the quality of life for women and children living in urban areas, and this should be reflected in the national budget through targeted allocations for social protection.

Mahfuz Kabir, research director at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, said it is crucial to ensure that the allocated funds are effectively reaching the intended beneficiaries.

He believes that correcting errors in the beneficiary-selection process would enable optimal use of resources, thereby ensuring citizens' right to social protection.

However, instead of focusing solely on annual budget cycles, he suggests that it would be more effective to move forward based on medium- to long-term policy strategies.

Md Mahabub Hasan, senior research associate at UnSy, moderated the event.