The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Gangachhara

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed Sunday announced an action plan for removing 'Monga' from the country' s northern region forever through well-coordinated programmes of the government, NGOs and private sector, as the lean-season dearth of food and work put people in misery.

"The government is keeping strict and intense attention about Monga. It is a temporary problem - temporary unemployment problem," he told an exchange-of- opinion meeting in the morning on the second day of his stay in this backwater northern district.

The head of caretaker government was exchanging views with people of different professions and officials of Gangachhara upazila at the meet organized by the local administration at the upazila parishad ground.

Commander of Muktijoddha Sangsad of the upazila M Azizul Islam, president of the Gangachhara imam association AKM Nurunnabi Ansari, Nure Alam Sarker of BRAC, president of Gangachhara press club Sazu Ahmed Lal, principal of Gangachhara Degree College Anisur Rahman, union parishad chairman Anwarul Islam, president of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mostafa Azad Chowdhury and UNO of Gangachhara Mukesh Chandra Biswas, among others, spoke at the meeting presided over by Rangpur deputy commissioner Khandokar M Atiar Rahman.

Gangachhara is a Monga-prone area of the greater Rangpur district. The seasonal crisis of unemployment and food usually occurs during October-November period in the agrarian northern region, lacking in industries and other income-generating modern vocations.

Focusing on ways of eradicating Monga, he said a committee headed by the Commerce Adviser was formed at Saturday's Advisory Council meeting in Rangpur to coordinate all ongoing projects regarding Monga-and poverty-alleviation programes of the government and NGOs and other organizations aiming to formulate a multidimensional plan of action to permanently end this endemic penury.

The Chief Adviser suggested cultivation of diversified food and other crops, undertaking income-generation projects and massive export of manpower to foreign countries from the northern region through imparting training to them at various training centres and institutes in the country.

He said he has instructed the authorities concerned for full-fledged run of Technical Training Centres and Institutes existing in many districts, which virtually remained inoperative, for their best utilization in developing skilled manpower in demanding fields. As part of the new thinking about resolving the nagging problem, the head of interim government suggested that the people of the northern region could migrate for employment to other parts of the country. Mentioning some of the synergized steps taken for resolving the problem last year, he expressed happiness over the outcome and told his audience that early preparation of steps and programmes in the current year would be much wider and coordinated in fighting Monga. Mentioning cultivation of BR-33 rice in this region last year, he urged farmers to cultivate this variety of paddy which is harvested comparatively in short time with less cost. He also mentioned cultivation of cassava in the northern region.

On VGF programme, another government intervention for alleviating the misery of the hardcore poor, the Chief Adviser said usually feeding through VGF cards does not continue during this time of the year but the government is continuing the programme considering damage to crops and property in the floods.

"The objective of VGF is to bring people below poverty line under safety net so that pressures of price of rice don't affect them." About fertilizer affairs, he said the government has preparation to procure 28 Lakh tones of fertilizer and assured that there would be no crisis. Usually, he said, 25 lakh tones of fertilizer had been used in the past in the country annually. Referring to increased numbers of representatives for distribution of fertilizer at union level, he said the government wants to reach the farming input to the doorsteps of farmers.

On open-market sale of fertilizer, as suggested by some in the meeting, the CA said he has no difference of opinion about it but the problem is that government has to give a big subsidy on urea imports. Government has to import one-kg urea at Tk 34 but sell at Tk 6, so Tk 28 has to be given subsidy on each kilogram of fertilizer.

So, if fertilizer is sold on the open market, there remains confusion among many as to where the price would reach. It creates problem when there is a big difference between purchase and sale prices. He sought cooperation of all in this regard, particularly in smooth distribution of fertilizer.

About construction and reconstruction of unfinished roads and bridges in this region, he informed that instructions were given from yesterday's Advisory Council meeting for quickly identifying those cases and it took decision for its implementation.

Later, the Chief Adviser distributed 15-kg rice each to poor families under a special VGF progarmme at the Gangachhara upazila parishad ground. Some 30,000 destitute people will get rice under the VGF operations in Gangachhara till May, starting from January..

On his way back from the venue, he had a stoppage in Moulvibazar area of Gangachhara and intimately talked to cross-sections of people. He wanted to know about their wellbeing, condition of agricultural production and cultivation and food prices. People standing on wayside, including farmers, requested ensuring smooth supply of fertilizer. However, they expressed satisfaction about the government's effort in this regard.

The Chief Adviser assured them that there would be no crisis of fertilizer and suggested using granule urea for reaping higher yields with less cost.

Hundreds of people of all ages were seen lining on both sides of road during the Chief Adviser's movement to and from Rangpur Circuit House to Gangachhara Upazila to welcome the head of government to their far-flung place.

Many of them greeted Dr Fakhruddin with claps and waving hands. The Chief Adviser flew back to the capital in the afternoon. He went to Rangpur Saturday along with the entire hierarchy of his interim government for a close interaction with people living in the far-off places of the country.