The seasonal lean period, commonly known as “monga”, departed without any bite for the fifth consecutive time this year following substantial change in socioeconomic condition of the poorer section people.
As per its pre-election pledges, the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has irreversibly eradicated “monga” from Rangpur region setting up glaring example through relieving the poor from the decades-old curse.According to social experts, NGO executives and officials, the poor did not feel any bite of “monga” for the fifth consecutive time during this lean period that ended on Agrahayan 1 after its two-month long existence from Aswin 1 to Kartik 30.Head of Programme Coordination of RDRS Bangladesh Monjushree Saha said the success has been achieved following various effective steps of the present government in eradicating the “monga” permanently from the region.According to Executive Director of Northbengal Institute of Development Studies Dr Syed Samsuzzaman the seasonal “monga” has factually disappeared from Rangpur region due to huge positive change in the peoples’ economic condition.“The socioeconomic condition of the poor has marked huge improvement as a result of their engagements with various income generating activities following comprehensive GO-NGO and private initiatives,” he said.Even a decade ago, hundreds of the poor had to lead miserable life for lack of farm activities in crop fields during Aswin and Kartik months before commencement of Aman harvest, said Chilmari upazila chairman Shawkat Ali Sarker, Bir Bikram.“The situation has been changed and children of the poorer families are now going to schools even in poverty-prone char areas on the Brahmaputra bed where people were living under abject poverty in the past,” he added.According to social experts, the poor have achieved self-reliance through small- scale enterprises, trades, cottage industries, sewing handloom garments, homestead farming, pisciculture, rearing poultry birds, animals and participatory social afforestation etc. The easy-term and interest-free loans, training for unemployed youths, girls and women on various trades for self-employment, assistance of the government, NGOs, donor agencies, development partners also played vital roles in eradicating “monga”, they said.Renowned rice scientist and Associate Director Agriculture of BRAC International (South Asia and Africa) Dr M A Mazid said expanded farming of short duration Aman rice played important role in combating “monga” during the last five years.“Early harvest of the short duration rice during the whole seasonal lean period creates huge jobs for farm- labourers, poorer section and distressed people paving ways for them to earn better livelihoods,” he added.Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) Narayan Chandra Barma said the government successfully implements comprehensive social safety-net programmes like employment generation, VGF, VGD, TR, FFW, distribution of allowances etc to eradicate the seasonal curse.“As a result of effective implementation of these programmes, the poorer section people did not experience any bite of “monga” in the region as their economic condition has improved largely during the past five years,” he added.Highly lauding the success, Taramon Bibi, Bir Pratik, told BSS that “monga” would never come back again as the government continues implementing huge programmes even after changing fate of the commoners through eradicating the seasonal curse.Chairmen Sohrab Hossain of Ostomirchar union and Ataur Rahman of Noyarhat union in Chilmari upazila said nobody can now find adolescents as domestic help in char areas on the Brahmaputra bed as economic condition of the poor has been improved. – BSS, Rangpur
