BSS, Dhaka :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday underlined the importance of intense monitoring of the social safety net programmes and other initiatives taken for improving the socio-economic condition of the extreme poor, destitutes, widows and disable persons.
“We have to ensure that the supports we are giving are used properly for welfare of the people,” she said while addressing the officials of the Ministry of Social Welfare at Bangladesh Secretariat here Sunday.
In this regard the prime minister said the government has made a list of street children in the capital aimed at rehabilitating them with giving education and necessary training. “It’s not a difficult task, it can be done if we wish,” she said.
The prime minister arrived at the ministry as part of her plan to visit every ministry to exchange views with the ministry officials and provide them with necessary guidelines to expedite the activities of the ministry.
Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali gave speech welcoming the Prime Minister while state minister Advocate Promode Mankin, secretary of the ministry Nasima Begum and senior officials of the Ministry and Prime Minister Office were present.
Sheikh Hasina said, ” Our decision in 1996 was to give every people at least a tin-shed house instead of thatched house. As part that decision the Ashrayan Project was undertaken while Grihayan Project was taken for low income people at only one percent service charge. Policy has been framed for NGOs to provide housing loan to poor at only five percent interest rate.”
In this regard the Prime Minister criticized the credit schemes of the non-government lending agencies for their high interest rates saying those schemes don’t help reducing poverty but help people to live on by some means and nursing the poverty for a long period.
“Awami League is the only party which prepared its election manifesto as recommended by different sub-committees on education, health, agriculture, finance and other subjects and adopted economic policy for future,” she said.
The Prime Minister added that Bangabandhu had preferred five-year plan for overall socio-economic development of the country. “We are also following his path”, she said. Sheikh Hasina said, “Our prime objective is to make the country poverty free. And we are prioritizing the programmes which are needed for making the country poverty free. As well we want to change the fate of the section of the people who are extreme poor and suffering from disability.”
Pointing out the affection of the Father of the Nation for downtrodden people, the Prime Minister said, “This principle guided Bangabandhu to give support to the demands of fourth-class employees of Dhaka University.”
The prime minister said local and international evil forces always tried to frustrate Bangladesh’s progress and democratic advancement, they had hatched conspiracy in 1974 creating food scarcity and hatched conspiracy again before the January 5, 2014 election.
“We could overcome the situation as we had previous experience,” she said adding the armed forces, law enforcing agencies and officials and employees of all levels of the administration were united this time side by side with awareness of the political leaders, field level workers and common people about keeping the democratic process uninterrupted.
The Prime Minister said continuation of our government was necessary in 2014 for continuation of the development programmes initiated by our government. “Because of change of the government country’s development faced a setback in 2001,” she noted.
Pointing out the social safety net programmes undertaken by Awami League government during its 1996-2001 tenure for welfare of the poor, destitute people and for education and health, she said, the programmes faced a serious blow after change of power in 2001.
“We could constitute the government because of successful election on January 5, 2014,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina said, “From our experience we know about the demands and wants of the people and we have prepared the programmes of our government. We have to pull out the poor people from poverty if we want to make the independence fruitful.”
She said in the global index Bangladesh has achieved progress in many areas including education and health. “We could do this as we followed the ways demonstrated by Bangabandhu after liberation. Global bodies including the UN are now thinking about those social issues,” she added.
The Prime Minister said the government would certainly give allowance to the poor, but poor should not be dependent only on the government allowances to live on and maintain their families. “The allowance should be as a support, they have to earn using the allowance,” she said.
Pointing out the reasons which led the people to become poor, she said social negligence to widows and divorced women are the major cause of increasing the number of poor women and street children in the cities.
After divorce or death of husband nobody even the parents give a woman any shelter. Then women flocked in the cities and work as domestic help or take shelter in the prostitute quarters throwing their children in the street, she said adding her government has introduced the allowance for helping those helpless women.
“Many families blamed the mothers for giving birth of a child with physical disability. Though the attitude is changing nowadays but the state and society must play their role,” she said urging the ministry to perform their responsibilities in this regard.
“After independence Bangabandhu has initiated all programmes aimed at welfare of the downtrodden people. It’s the guiding principle for us in taking various programmes for development of the country and people’s welfare,” she said.
The Prime Minister said her government has a plan to rearrange the villages. A project namely ‘Palli Janapad’ was taken and under the plan multistoried buildings would be constructed for rural people.
She urged the ministry officials to take steps for encouraging slum people to ‘Ghare Fera Karmasuchi’ to rehabilitate them in their own paternal home. Under the programme, dwelling houses are being constructed and foods are being provided to them for six months under VGF programme. Besides, their children are getting chance of education free for cost.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday underlined the importance of intense monitoring of the social safety net programmes and other initiatives taken for improving the socio-economic condition of the extreme poor, destitutes, widows and disable persons.
“We have to ensure that the supports we are giving are used properly for welfare of the people,” she said while addressing the officials of the Ministry of Social Welfare at Bangladesh Secretariat here Sunday.
In this regard the prime minister said the government has made a list of street children in the capital aimed at rehabilitating them with giving education and necessary training. “It’s not a difficult task, it can be done if we wish,” she said.
The prime minister arrived at the ministry as part of her plan to visit every ministry to exchange views with the ministry officials and provide them with necessary guidelines to expedite the activities of the ministry.
Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali gave speech welcoming the Prime Minister while state minister Advocate Promode Mankin, secretary of the ministry Nasima Begum and senior officials of the Ministry and Prime Minister Office were present.
Sheikh Hasina said, ” Our decision in 1996 was to give every people at least a tin-shed house instead of thatched house. As part that decision the Ashrayan Project was undertaken while Grihayan Project was taken for low income people at only one percent service charge. Policy has been framed for NGOs to provide housing loan to poor at only five percent interest rate.”
In this regard the Prime Minister criticized the credit schemes of the non-government lending agencies for their high interest rates saying those schemes don’t help reducing poverty but help people to live on by some means and nursing the poverty for a long period.
“Awami League is the only party which prepared its election manifesto as recommended by different sub-committees on education, health, agriculture, finance and other subjects and adopted economic policy for future,” she said.
The Prime Minister added that Bangabandhu had preferred five-year plan for overall socio-economic development of the country. “We are also following his path”, she said. Sheikh Hasina said, “Our prime objective is to make the country poverty free. And we are prioritizing the programmes which are needed for making the country poverty free. As well we want to change the fate of the section of the people who are extreme poor and suffering from disability.”
Pointing out the affection of the Father of the Nation for downtrodden people, the Prime Minister said, “This principle guided Bangabandhu to give support to the demands of fourth-class employees of Dhaka University.”
The prime minister said local and international evil forces always tried to frustrate Bangladesh’s progress and democratic advancement, they had hatched conspiracy in 1974 creating food scarcity and hatched conspiracy again before the January 5, 2014 election.
“We could overcome the situation as we had previous experience,” she said adding the armed forces, law enforcing agencies and officials and employees of all levels of the administration were united this time side by side with awareness of the political leaders, field level workers and common people about keeping the democratic process uninterrupted.
The Prime Minister said continuation of our government was necessary in 2014 for continuation of the development programmes initiated by our government. “Because of change of the government country’s development faced a setback in 2001,” she noted.
Pointing out the social safety net programmes undertaken by Awami League government during its 1996-2001 tenure for welfare of the poor, destitute people and for education and health, she said, the programmes faced a serious blow after change of power in 2001.
“We could constitute the government because of successful election on January 5, 2014,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina said, “From our experience we know about the demands and wants of the people and we have prepared the programmes of our government. We have to pull out the poor people from poverty if we want to make the independence fruitful.”
She said in the global index Bangladesh has achieved progress in many areas including education and health. “We could do this as we followed the ways demonstrated by Bangabandhu after liberation. Global bodies including the UN are now thinking about those social issues,” she added.
The Prime Minister said the government would certainly give allowance to the poor, but poor should not be dependent only on the government allowances to live on and maintain their families. “The allowance should be as a support, they have to earn using the allowance,” she said.
Pointing out the reasons which led the people to become poor, she said social negligence to widows and divorced women are the major cause of increasing the number of poor women and street children in the cities.
After divorce or death of husband nobody even the parents give a woman any shelter. Then women flocked in the cities and work as domestic help or take shelter in the prostitute quarters throwing their children in the street, she said adding her government has introduced the allowance for helping those helpless women.
“Many families blamed the mothers for giving birth of a child with physical disability. Though the attitude is changing nowadays but the state and society must play their role,” she said urging the ministry to perform their responsibilities in this regard.
“After independence Bangabandhu has initiated all programmes aimed at welfare of the downtrodden people. It’s the guiding principle for us in taking various programmes for development of the country and people’s welfare,” she said.
The Prime Minister said her government has a plan to rearrange the villages. A project namely ‘Palli Janapad’ was taken and under the plan multistoried buildings would be constructed for rural people.
She urged the ministry officials to take steps for encouraging slum people to ‘Ghare Fera Karmasuchi’ to rehabilitate them in their own paternal home. Under the programme, dwelling houses are being constructed and foods are being provided to them for six months under VGF programme. Besides, their children are getting chance of education free for cost.
