A total of 43,014 young men and women have been employed in different phases under the National Service Programme of the government since its inception in 2009.
Of them, 5,991 have been employed while 37,423 self-employed, Director (planning) of the Department of Youth Development (DYD) Abul Hasan Khan told media.
Besides, a total of 1,11,699 educated unemployed youth have been temporarily employed from the first phase to the fourth phase of the programme that is being implement at 128 upazilas under 37 districts of the country, he said.
Currently, a total of 89,158 youths are employed provisionally under the programme, Khan added.
According to the National Service Programme Cell sources, a total of Taka 2074.8 crore was allocated from 2009-10 fiscal to 2017-18 fiscal for the service while a target was set to create employment for 1,91,650 youths in seven phases at 128 upazilas under the 37 districts.
Under the service, the target was set to give training to 1,93,985 youths while training has already been given to 1,14,034, the source said.
The ratio of the participant of women and men is 51:49.
As per electoral commitment of the present Government, the National Service Programme was launched in 2009-10 fiscal with a view to providing temporary employment to the unemployed youths passing SSC or above in the age group of 15-35 years through their involvement in national building activities, DYD Director (administration and finance) AN Mohammad Ali said.
Activities of the service were started in three districts as pilot basis, he said, adding that later its activities were expanded in different phases on the basis of country’s poverty map as per the cabinet decision.
The National Service is a priority base programme of the government that is run as per the National Service Programme Policy approved by the cabinet, Ali said.
According to the service cell source, the beneficiaries now belong to the age group 24-35 years and required education is HSC or above. However, educational qualification still remains SSC for the upazilas of hill districts.
Primarily, the educated youths of the working areas are given three months’ training on 10 particular modules. After completion of training, they are given temporary employment locally for two years against different services of the government.
During the training period, every youth gets Taka 100 as training allowance daily while they get Taka 200 (per person) as service allowance daily during their two-year temporary employment.
In every month, each of the youths has to deposit Taka 2,000 as saving out of monthly remuneration of Taka 6000 against his/her bank account which is refundable after completion of two years assignment.
The youths are employed temporarily in the upazila administration, law and order protection activities, schools, colleges, madrasahs, municipalities, union parishads, upazila health complexes and clinics, banks and different government and non-government service oriented institutions, Abul Hasan Khan said.
