Searching job opportunities in both public and private sectors for the unemployed poor and extreme poor households is needed for improving their living and livelihood condition, speakers at a discussion said here yesterday.
They viewed unemployment especially in slum areas creates many social problems such as terrorism, child marriage, child labour and violence against women. The corporate bodies and other private sectors should be engaged so that they create jobs for the vulnerable population.
The observations came at a workshop styled “Local Opportunity for Competitive Assessment” held at seminar room of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) where businessmen, professional leaders and others concerned attended.
RCC and Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction Project (UPPRP) jointly organized the workshop discussing ways and means of creating job opportunities for the underprivileged people.
Local Government Engineering Department has been implementing the UPPRP in association with UNDP and financial and technical support from UKaid and UNHabitat with main thrust of improving living and livelihood condition of around two and a half lakh poor and extreme poor people, especially women and girls, in the city by 2015.
Mayor Mosaddeque Hossain Bulbul addressed the discussion as chief guest with its Chief Executive Officer Ajahar Ali in the chair. RCC Executive Engineer Nur Islam Tusser, President of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Abu Bakker Ali and Editor of Daily Sonali Sangbad Liakat Ali also spoke.
In his keynote presentation, Ershadul Haque, Town Manager of UPPRP, said more than 4,800 youths both males and females were imparted six months apprenticeship training through the anti-poverty project.
Each of them were provided Taka 1500 per month as apprenticeship allowance in addition to some assistance from their respective shop owners during the apprenticeship period.
Unfortunately, he said after completion of their apprenticeship on various need-oriented trades and vocations like welding, motor mechanics, plumbing, auto electric and embroidery or tailoring many of them become dropped out due to lack of job security. Subsequently, all their hard-earned knowledge go in vain.
There should have measures in public and private sectors so that the trained youths can render their services as fulltime workers and contribute to the society through best uses of their acquired technical and vocational knowledge.
Mayor Bulbul stated that the 96.72 square- kilometre town area is the home of around 7.5 lakh population and around 2.50 lakh of them are from poor and extreme poor categories who need special support for uplifting their living and livelihood condition side by side with elevating the socio-economic condition of the metropolis.
Most of the slum and underprivileged areas are always talked- about as breeding places of street children and various social crimes and disorders especially drug abuse, terrorism, early marriage, polygamy and violence against women.
In the present context of price spiral of essential commodities, he said creating job opportunities for the vulnerable sections of the society has become an urgent need to bring them under social safety- net.
If we make the youths money-makers through various self-employment activities then the existing rate of urban poverty could be reduced to a greater extent, he added. -BSS, Rajshahi
