The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has verified, printed, and handed over 57 lakh smart family cards to local administration offices for nationwide distribution.

Additionally, the corporation has prepared 6 lakh more cards for printing and delivery later this month.

These cards are being distributed free of charge by the government.

During the tenure of the Awami League, the TCB issued one crore family cards across the country. However, questions regarding the authenticity of the cardholders arose when the interim government took office following the end of Sheikh Hasina's tenure due to the July-August mass uprising.

The state agency initiated the verification of the cards after discovering that some individuals had misused their national identity (NID) to acquire multiple cards under the same name.

As of November last year, 57 lakh cards had been updated, while 43 lakh remained unverified by local administrations, according to Md Humayun Kabir, joint director and spokesperson of the TCB.

"Updated information is needed to reduce duplication of family card beneficiaries within the same families," he said.

When one crore handwritten cards were integrated with the NID system, it was found that some individuals had used the same identity to obtain a card in Dhaka and another in their hometown.