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Loans disbursed in ‘back to sweet home’ program |
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September 17, 2000
Dhaka (UNB) – Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) continued to disburse loan among slum dwellers under the government’s “Ghare Fera Karmasuchi” defending criticism against the programme. The bank at a ceremony here yesterday (Saturday) disbursed loans amounting to Tk 35.57 lakh among 190 slum families as part of its 8th phase of the home return programme. The latest phase would facilitate 1,000 slum families to go back to their village and earn livelihood, the function was told. Earlier, 10,450 people of 1,746 families were rehabilitated from the city slums with a loan of Tk 3.11 crore since May 1999, the bank sources said. “It’s a humanitarian project” as part of the government’s welfare programme for the poor, Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria told the function. He said the slum dwellers came to Dhaka to earn their livelihood, but experienced miserable life in the slums within a very short period of time. “We’re not sending back all the slum dwellers…only those who are interested but cannot do so for want of money.” The Finance Minister said many oppose the project simply for two reasons. They think, only they can better the life of the people and others can not. On the other hand, they disburse loan at different slums taking money from foreign donors, he said adding: “If the slum dwellers go back to their village how their business will run?” He instructed the BKB to invite the NGOs for negotiation to reach a coordinated approach for the betterment of the slum people’s lot. “We don’t have any conflict with the NGOs,” he said. Kibria listed the government’s welfare programmes and said this government is the first to introduce allowance for the poor elderly people and widows. “We’ve implemented all our election commitments, at least to some extent, and are trying to implement those fully,” he said. Additional finance secretary Dr Shoeb Ahmed, BKB chairman Dr Mirza Abdul Jalil and managing director Dr Jadav Chandra Saha also addressed the function at the bank’s head office. |