Speakers at a workshop said emphasis should be given on formulation of joint action plan for substantial and sustainable reduction of urban poverty.
They viewed the metropolis couldn’t be freed from poverty and hunger until preparation of an effective and time-fitting plan of action is carried out. Moreover, opinion and suggestion of the communities should be given priority in the formulation process, they added.
The Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction Project (UPPRP) organized the workshop at Safawang Community Center in the city on Tuesday. More than 120 people comprising government and non-government officials’ concerned, public representatives, community leaders and other stakeholders attended the programme.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has been implementing the UPPRP in the metropolis with the main thrust of improving livelihood condition of around two and half lakh poor and extreme poor people, especially women and girls.
Mayor Mosaddeque Hossain Bulbul addressed the programme as chief guest while councilor Tahera Begum Mili, Chief Executive Officer Ajahar Ali and Executive Engineer Nur Islam Tusser spoke as special guests.
“In the wake of gradual rising of slum, poor and extreme poor people in the city, we need more anti-poverty schemes to eradicate urban poverty in the city alongside eliminating other poverty linked social problems like child marriage and drug addiction,” Mayor Bulbul said.
He urged all concerned to devise ways and means on how to formulate a joint action plan to free the city from poverty and hunger and added that the project should be more meaningful and effective so that its beneficiaries particularly women can derive its total benefits.
Under the project, the beneficiary communities identify and prioritize the environmental, social and economic challenges they face as well as the required actions to address them, said UPPRP Town Manager Ershadul Haque.
More than 33,000 households from slum and underprivileged areas across the city have come together in an anti-poverty savings scheme to raise more than Taka 9.5 crore.
Through the savings and credit programmes, the communities now can operate their own savings schemes and create a revolving fund from which credit operations are being managed by themselves.
Under socio-economic fund, more than 9,200 households receive block grants worth Taka five crore while Taka 4.2 crore were disbursed among 10,400 dropout school children for restarting their institutional education.
The programme promotes household and community level urban food production technology demonstrations and provides small input supports especially high yielding variety vegetable and fruits seeds, saplings, ducklings, chick and poultry vaccination.
It also provides business start-up grants to extreme poor women for poultry, goat rearing, beef fattening and agri-business allowing them to have access to regular income.
Besides, the ongoing apprenticeships and vocational training improves the likelihood of youth giving them an opportunity to have decent jobs and regular income.
Various other settlement improvement facilities like 11,000 pit latrines, 2,300 tubewells, 57,000 square-metre footpath and 9,000 metre drain were developed for ensuring improved water and sanitation among the poverty-prone communities.
The access to improved water sources makes the lives of community members healthier while the constructed toilets and bathing facilities leads to improved hygiene practices. -BSS, Rajshahi
