The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rajshahi

The Government has distributed Taka 296.58 crore among 6.56 lakh poor people of Rajshahi division till last month under a 100-day employment generation programme.

Officials here said, the programme was taken by the present care taker government to create employments for the poor especially who live in poverty-prone rural and chars areas and face economic hardship during lean Periods for job scarcity. Under the programme, a total of 52,540 employment generating projects would be implemented at the cost of 393.91 crore in two phases. A total of 27,367 projects under first phase have already been completed last month, officials concerned said.

A total of 6,56,520 poor including a good number of women have been involved directly in the development activities such as repairing of bridges, culverts, roads, water bodies, ponds, canals, institutions and other infrastructures, earth filling, cleaning of weeds, preparing compost using water hyacinth.

Officials said the infrastructure development works have created job opportunities and flow of money in rural areas to help poor farm-labourers earning wages during the lean period.

Each poor worker earned Taka 100 as wage per day and Taka 6,000 during the first phase of the programme. After completion of the 100-day programme by April 15 next year, they will earn Taka 10,000, they said.