The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rajshahi

The regional office of Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) here has disbursed Taka 589.23 crore as loan among the poor and low-income group people in last 10 years under its Rural Livelihood Project (RLP) till October last. Sources said the BRDB has also recovered Taka 604.75 crore against the targeted Taka 622.84 crore under the revolving-fund method during the same period till last month.

The project is being implemented in 49 upazilas of Rajshahi, Natore, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Pabna and Sirajganj districts since 1998 under the ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives.

The main thrust of the project is to supplement the government's poverty alleviation efforts through income generation and creating employment for the disadvantaged and low- income group people involving them in both he agricultural and non-agricultural fields.

The main activities of the project are being implemented through formation of two-tier cooperative societies at village level like Bittahin Somobai Samity and Mohila Bittahin Somobai Samity while Upazila Bittahin Somobai Samity at upazila level.

Formation of village-level cooperative society and member- capital through depositing savings and shares, skill development training and providing soft-term loan among the target group people for their employment and income generation are the major components of the project.

Under the project, a total of 1,88,544 vulnerable people including 1,52,586 women were brought under the income generating activities through 5,695 registered cooperative societies including 4,575 for women in 49 upazilas.

Loans are given in sectors like fish farming, pottery, nursery, horticulture development, cow fattening, poultry firm, goat rearing, food processing, repairing and selling of irrigation equipment, paddy husking, carpeting, tailoring, sericulture, mat making, black smith and other incoming generating projects.

The society members have deposited Taka 4.84 crore as share and another Taka 14.47 crore as savings.

Some 86,044 beneficiaries were imparted training on different need-based field like cooperative management, bookkeeping and skill development under the project.

Regional Director (RLP) of BRDB Ayub Hossain told BSS that the scheme are gaining popularity among the marginal and low- income groups in the remote areas and helped them to become economically self-reliant as well as to free them from abject poverty.

The project has created opportunity for the poor people to change their standard of their living, Ayub said adding it has been contributing a lot in women empowerment along with creating awareness about their rights.