Economic Reporter :
Eminent economists have suggested the authorities to intensify the activities of Amar Bari Amar Khamar (ABAK) project for keeping the country’s rural economy vibrant amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The world economy is facing recession due to massive spread of coronavirus, identified as global epidemic. Although the infection started in Bangladesh in early March, it has already spread across the country.
Like other countries in the world, Bangladesh economy has already started to face the negative impact of coronavirus. To tackle this situation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given guidance for keeping agriculture and rural economy afloat.
For tackling the COVID-19 impact and keeping afloat the country’s rural economy, prominent economists and former Bangladesh Bank (BB) governors Dr Mohammed Farashuddin and Dr Salehuddin Ahmed suggested for expanding the activities of the ABAK project.
Farashuddin said ABAK is playing a vital role to alleviate poverty at the rural areas and this project can put effective impact in vibrating the rural economy affectef by the COVID-19.
He urged the government for expanding the project in a large scale for bringing the country’s poor people in the main stream of development activities.
“Many floating people in the urban areas have gone to villages due to coronavirus pandemic. The government should expand ABAK and Ashrayan projects for keeping people in villages by ensuring homes and income for them,” he added.
Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said proper implementation of the ABAK project would help achieve the goal of bringing the country’s poverty rate to zero.
“For achieving the target of the project, we will have to give special emphasis on selection of beneficiaries, services and monitoring activities,” he added.
ABAK Project Director Akber Hossain said the ABAK project, one of the ten priority initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has infused dynamism in the country’s rural economy by making each family economically self-reliant.
“The government has taken the project to alleviate poverty as part of its plan to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through fund mobilization and farming,” he added.
In line with the key objectives of the project, ABAK has been playing a vital role in making the poor self-reliant, he said.
Over 2.56 crore poor and extreme-poor across the country are getting benefits from the project, he noted.
Akber said over 1.17 lakh Village Development Associations (VDAs) have already been formed across the country benefitting about 51.27 lakh families.
The beneficiaries of the project have deposited over Taka 1,867.67 crore till May, 2020 and the government has provided Taka 1,619.94 crore to the project, he said.
Through the project, Akber Hossain said, the government is assisting capital formation of the poor families, sharpening their skills through training and motivation.
“The government has launched the project for accelerating economic activities in the rural areas to alleviate poverty turning the huge population into human resources ensuring optimum use of land,” he added.
He said the project also allows the beneficiaries to work together for taking decisions independently, develop their need based small family farms and find market of their products.
“Members of the VDAs are self-reliant and capable to run their businesses independently,” he added.
The ABAK project director said the government is giving special focus on women as a VDA is formed with 60 members out of which 40 are women.
Under the project, he said, each member of VDA saves Taka 200 per month and the government gives each of them an equal amount as bonus. All the money has been deposited to the bank account of VDA.
After getting fund from the respective VDA, he informed that a member of each poor family develops small farms like fishery, livestock, poultry, nursery and vegetable gardening.
Under the project steps were taken to bring every inch of land of the low incoming families to cultivation, he said.
Akber Hossain, also an additional secretary, said after making an income from their farms, members of each VDA make repayment of their loans in installment to the account of the VDA. Thus the fund is being revolved and utilized for poverty alleviation, he added.
Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar (EBEK) project started in 2009 with Taka 1,492 crore and finally the project was revised in 2016 with Taka 8,010.27 crore.
The present government renamed the Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar’ project as ‘Amar Bari Amar Khamar ‘ after assuming office in January, 2019 with a view to making the rural people, particularly poor, self-dependent and bringing them to the mainstream of development.
Eminent economists have suggested the authorities to intensify the activities of Amar Bari Amar Khamar (ABAK) project for keeping the country’s rural economy vibrant amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The world economy is facing recession due to massive spread of coronavirus, identified as global epidemic. Although the infection started in Bangladesh in early March, it has already spread across the country.
Like other countries in the world, Bangladesh economy has already started to face the negative impact of coronavirus. To tackle this situation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given guidance for keeping agriculture and rural economy afloat.
For tackling the COVID-19 impact and keeping afloat the country’s rural economy, prominent economists and former Bangladesh Bank (BB) governors Dr Mohammed Farashuddin and Dr Salehuddin Ahmed suggested for expanding the activities of the ABAK project.
Farashuddin said ABAK is playing a vital role to alleviate poverty at the rural areas and this project can put effective impact in vibrating the rural economy affectef by the COVID-19.
He urged the government for expanding the project in a large scale for bringing the country’s poor people in the main stream of development activities.
“Many floating people in the urban areas have gone to villages due to coronavirus pandemic. The government should expand ABAK and Ashrayan projects for keeping people in villages by ensuring homes and income for them,” he added.
Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said proper implementation of the ABAK project would help achieve the goal of bringing the country’s poverty rate to zero.
“For achieving the target of the project, we will have to give special emphasis on selection of beneficiaries, services and monitoring activities,” he added.
ABAK Project Director Akber Hossain said the ABAK project, one of the ten priority initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has infused dynamism in the country’s rural economy by making each family economically self-reliant.
“The government has taken the project to alleviate poverty as part of its plan to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through fund mobilization and farming,” he added.
In line with the key objectives of the project, ABAK has been playing a vital role in making the poor self-reliant, he said.
Over 2.56 crore poor and extreme-poor across the country are getting benefits from the project, he noted.
Akber said over 1.17 lakh Village Development Associations (VDAs) have already been formed across the country benefitting about 51.27 lakh families.
The beneficiaries of the project have deposited over Taka 1,867.67 crore till May, 2020 and the government has provided Taka 1,619.94 crore to the project, he said.
Through the project, Akber Hossain said, the government is assisting capital formation of the poor families, sharpening their skills through training and motivation.
“The government has launched the project for accelerating economic activities in the rural areas to alleviate poverty turning the huge population into human resources ensuring optimum use of land,” he added.
He said the project also allows the beneficiaries to work together for taking decisions independently, develop their need based small family farms and find market of their products.
“Members of the VDAs are self-reliant and capable to run their businesses independently,” he added.
The ABAK project director said the government is giving special focus on women as a VDA is formed with 60 members out of which 40 are women.
Under the project, he said, each member of VDA saves Taka 200 per month and the government gives each of them an equal amount as bonus. All the money has been deposited to the bank account of VDA.
After getting fund from the respective VDA, he informed that a member of each poor family develops small farms like fishery, livestock, poultry, nursery and vegetable gardening.
Under the project steps were taken to bring every inch of land of the low incoming families to cultivation, he said.
Akber Hossain, also an additional secretary, said after making an income from their farms, members of each VDA make repayment of their loans in installment to the account of the VDA. Thus the fund is being revolved and utilized for poverty alleviation, he added.
Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar (EBEK) project started in 2009 with Taka 1,492 crore and finally the project was revised in 2016 with Taka 8,010.27 crore.
The present government renamed the Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar’ project as ‘Amar Bari Amar Khamar ‘ after assuming office in January, 2019 with a view to making the rural people, particularly poor, self-dependent and bringing them to the mainstream of development.
