Staff Correspondent
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the distribution of houses among 66,189 landless and homeless families under Ashrayan-2 Project, the world’s biggest ever scheme for providing shelter to homeless people.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the distribution ceremony virtually at 10:30am on Saturday from her official Ganabhaban residence,” Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus told a press briefing at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday.
He said a total of 66,189 houses have been built at a cost of Taka 1,168 crore for homeless people as part of the government’s initiative to bring all homeless families under housing facility during Mujib
Barsho with the slogan, “None will be left homeless”.
One lakh more houses will also be distributed among homeless people in the next month, he said.
Dr Ahmad Kaikaus said Ashrayan Project under the PMO rehabilitated 3,715 families by constructing 743 barracks under 44 project villages in 36 upazilas in 21 districts during the Mujib Barsho.
The principal secretary said the Ashrayan Project has prepared a list of 8,85,622 families in 2020, of which 2,93,361 landless and homeless families and 5,92,261 families having 1-10 decimal land but no housing facility.
He said Ashrayan has also rehabilitated 3,20,058 landless and homeless families from 1997 to December 2020, adding, “Armed Forces Davison is constructing barracks for landless and homeless families.”
Dr Kaikaus said the Ashran-2 project (July 2010-June 2022) has a
target to rehabilitate 2,50,000 landless, homeless and displaced
families at a cost of Taka 4,840.28 crore. For the 250,000 families,
Ashrayan has already rehabilitated 1,92,277 landless and homeless
families across the country from July 2010 to June 2019.
A total of 48,500 landless and homeless families have been
rehabilitated in barracks while 1,43,777 families having own land
(1-10 decimal) but no capacity to construct houses in semi-barracks,
corrugated iron sheet barracks and specially designed houses.
He said the government also constructed 20 five-story buildings at
Khurushkul in Cox’s Bazar for 600 families, who are climate refugees
as a special gift by the Prime Minister.
“Armed Forces Division is also implementing more 119 multi-storey
buildings and related activities through Detailed Project Proposal
(DPP),” he added.
According to the project details, the government also constructed
139 five-story buildings at Khurushkul in Cox’s Bazar for 4,409
families, who are climate refugees.
The purpose of the project is to eliminate poverty by providing
land, housing, training, loan, healthcare, family planning, income
generating activities, drinking water supply, electricity supply,
improvement of communication system and plantation facilities for
people who were affected by cyclone, flood, river erosion and natural
disasters.
The adult male-female members of the rehabilitated families are
getting training on increasing awareness on various issues, expertise
and human resource development to enable them becoming engaged in
income-generation works.
Project Director of Ashrayan-2 Md Mahbub Hossain on Wednesday said
the government has undertaken the project to give the homeless people
a meaningful life through providing shelter and assistance for making
them self-reliant.
He said the activities of the project will be accelerated further
in future to alleviate poverty for fulfilling the ‘Vision 2021’ and
achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Meanwhile, different ministries and divisions have been
implementing comprehensive social safety-net activities under the
project for mainstreaming the rehabilitated people to become
self-reliant with support, training and assistance from the
government.
