Poorer people at a public hearing called for ensuring transparency in the selection process of beneficiaries for the vulnerable group development (VGD) programme.
They also said massive social safety-net programmes (SSNP), including VGD, being implemented by the government, had been reducing poverty helping improve their living standard.
The opinion came yesterday at the public hearing on ‘The VGD activities under the government’s social safety-net programmes’ held at Balarhat union parisahd in Mithapukur upazila.
‘Pushpo’ Bangladesh organised the hearing with the assistance of Balapara union parisahd, National Social Safety Forum, Manusher Janno Foundation (MJF) and upazila women affairs department.
Members of Balarhat union parisahd, upazila level government officials, members of the Union VGD Beneficiary Selection Committee, beneficiaries of the VGD programme and poorer people were present.
Executive Director of ‘Pushpo’ Bangladesh Nishat Nahar gave welcome speech, presided over by Chairman of Balarhat union Abdul Kuddus.
Project Coordinator of ‘Pushpo’ Bangladesh Shamsul Alam gave presentation narrating the government strategies and policies in selecting VGD beneficiaries and objectives of the massive SSNPs.
A number of VGD beneficiary women narrated their experience with suggestions to overcome some problems to ensure complete transparency in the beneficiary section process.
Mithapukur Upazila Women Affairs Officer Mollika Parveen, Project Implementation Officer Musfikur Rahman and Balarhat union Chairman Abdul Kuddus answered different questions.
Members of the National Social Safety-net Forum Alauddin Khan, Abdul Awal and S I Kabir, Programme Coordinator of Manusher Janno Foundation Sumona Sultana and its Deputy Programme Manager Soma Dutta also took part in the discussion.
Mollika Parveen said the distressed women aged up to 50 years would be included in the VGD programme while the distressed women having two children would get preference.
“The distressed mothers of the school-going female students would also be included in the VGD programme on condition of not arranging marriage of their daughters before their 18-year age,” she added
Abdul Kuddus assured of taking more steps to make the beneficiary selection process completely transparent and called upon all concerned to make the VGD programme successful.
