ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has accentuated the pre-existing vulnerabilities of the marginalized groups in Bangladesh and created new ones. In view of this, the study aims to assess the quality of delivery of COVID-19 targeted support programs introduced by identifying the gaps between policies and practices based on a nationwide household survey. The study identifies the effectiveness of support measures in attaining the program objectives (including attendant gaps) and suggests areas of improvement. In this connection, the study focuses on three major support programs introduced in view of the pandemic. These are (i) cash support of BDT 2,500 each to 5 million households, (ii) food (rice) distribution, and (iii) cash support under Gratuitous Relief (GR). It was found that a large number of eligible beneficiaries, including the ‘new poor’, were excluded from these relief programs. In this context, the significant challenges were debatable coverage strategy, targeting error, inadequate information dissemination, and lack of transparency in defining eligibility criteria.
