The first phase of the special Employment Generation Project for the Poorest (EGPP) at Taka 124.69 crore has ended successfully benefiting the poorer section people everywhere in Rangpur division.
According to official sources, infrastructural development works under the EGPP have been completed in all 58 upazilas of eight districts in the division benefiting 1,55,862 ultra poor people through improving livelihoods by creating job opportunities.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) Abdus Salam of Rangpur told BSS this evening that each of the beneficiaries is earned wages of Taka 200 per day for five days in a week under the programme.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief had allocated the huge amount of money under the government’s social safety networks for assisting the ultra poor people to led better life through earning wages from conducting development works.
Each of the card-holder beneficiary person including distressed women worked for five-day in a week to earn Taka 8,000 as wages for their 40-day works continued till the end of January last, he added.
Under the programme, each of the beneficiaries got weekly wages of Taka 1,000 for five days on the Thursdays through their own bank accounts opened at Taka 10 at the local branches of the commercial banks.
The beneficiary people conducted development works like earth-filling for bridges, culverts, roads, waterbodies, ponds, canals, educational and religious institutions, cleaning weeds, preparing compost heaps, renovating, repairing and other works.
Under the programme, the government had allocated Taka 28.80 crore for 36,008 beneficiaries in Rangpur, Taka 28.90 crore for 36,132 in Kurigram, Taka 4.75 crore for 5,946 in Lalmonirhat, Taka 10.67 crore for 13,349 beneficiaries in Gaibandha districts.
Besides, Taka 27.11 was allocated for 33,897 beneficiaries in Nilphamari, Taka 11.28 crore for 14,109 in Dinajpur, Taka 5.60 crore for 7,008 in Thakurgaon and Taka 7.53 crore for 9,413 beneficiaries in Panchagarh districts.
Talking to BSS, beneficiaries Minara Begum, Lovely Khatun, Marjina, Nilima Rani, Bhola Nath, Arzoo Miah, Bulbul and Hashem said they have been largely benefited to lead normal life through earning Tk 1,000 every week under the programme.
