The New Nation - Internet Edition

Business Desk

The World Bank is supporting a government initiative that will allow Dhaka urban rickshaw-pullers to access micro finance for improving their livelihood. Those rickshaw-pullers, displaced by a ban on non-motorized transports (rickshaws, pushcarts, and rickshaw vans) in certain Dhaka roads, will now get technical skills trainings and use micro credit to shift into other professions.

Palli Kanna Shahayak Foundation (PKSF) is implementing this US$15 million Additional Financing for Second Poverty Alleviation Microfinance project of the Government. Recently-selected 10 Partncr Organisations have started mobilizing the affected rickshaw-pullers and assessing their training needs. Any existing non-motorized transport pullers can also be brought under this program, if previously affected rickshaw-pullers were not identified. The plan to reach out around 40,000 non-motorized transport pullers and poor owners will end 30 June, 2009.

The emerging challenges of this initiative are expected to be addressed successfully by PKSF and partners to highlight the fact that microcredit can effectively provide a solution to various livelihood challenges of different category of poor people.