Safety net widens: Funds for garment workers, homeless housing created

Safety net widens: Funds for garment workers, homeless housing created
The New Nation, Bangladesh

In addition to the ongoing social safety net programmes, the government has proposed two more programmes involving an expenditure of Tk 70 crore in the next fiscal year for the ready-made garment workers, and housing for the homeless people.

It also proposed to increase the number of beneficiaries and amount of payment under the existing programmes like allowances for elderly people, destitute and widowed, people persecuted socially and affected by natural disasters, insolvent freedom fighters, fully retarded people, seasonal unemployed people in Monga-prone areas, and voluntarily retired and retrenched employees and labourers<1--more-->

A total of 16 lakh elderly people or senior citizens will be provided monthly allowance of Tk 200 from the beginning of the next fiscal year, as proposed. Similarly, the rate of allowance for the destitute and widowed women has been proposed Tk 200 in the next fiscal from Tk 180 in the current fiscal and their number has been raised to 6.50 lakh from 6.25 lakh.

To mitigate the sufferings of the people persecuted and socially and affected by natural disasters, Saifur proposed to allocate Tk 10 crore and Tk 30 crore respectively to these funds.

The beneficiary coverage under the ‘Honorarium Programme for Insolvent freedom fighters’ has been proposed to increase from 70,000 to one lakh in the next fiscal.

Besides, the number of beneficiary coverage of fully retarded persons has been raised to another 60,000 in addition to 1.04 lakh, while the allocation has been increased to a total of Tk 40 crore.

The Finance Minister proposed additional allocation of Tk 55 crore to the ‘Seasonal Unemployment Reduction Fund’ created in last fiscal to mitigate the sufferings of seasonal unemployment people, specially in Monga-affected areas.

Moreover, he proposed allocation of additional Tk 30 crore to the fund for ‘retraining and employment of voluntarily retired/retrenched employees and labourers, Tk 20 crore allocation for ‘Skill Development Fund for the Ready-made garment Workers and Tk 50 crore for the ‘Fund for Housing the Homeless’.

Apart from the allocation to these programmes, Saifur said 10 lakh 50 thousand metric tons of foodgrains have been earmarked for Rural Infrastructure Maintenance Programme (TR), Food for Works Programme (FFW), Gratuitous Relief (GR), VGF and VGD.

He also proposed to allocate in lump of Tk 100 crore to the Ministry of Food and Natural Disaster Management to meet the emergencies due to natural disasters.

© Copyright 2003 by The New Nation

Post Author: Indonesia Grament