Programmes and Strategies for poverty

alleviation in Bangladesh

Submission Date: September 11, 2019

Submitted to Submitted By

Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Hakim Muhammad Eftakharul Islam EFTY

Course code: MDS 5205/MDS 523; Batch-25, ID-2019020100005

Economics of Poverty and Social Master of Development Studies (MDS)

Inequalities
INTRODUCTION

Poverty is a particular situation of human life. It is related to the standard of living and the
socio-economic aspects of living. Though apparently it seems that the concept of poverty is
primarily linked with money income. Rapid and sustained poverty reduction requires a pace
and pattern of economic growth that helps poor women and men to participate in, contribute
to and benefit from it – in short, pro-poor growth. Actually it has many non-income
dimensions. The issue of poverty is closely related with overall growth and development of a
country. With the increases, income, poverty diminishes and in the reverse case, poverty
increase. In poor and developing countries, poverty alleviation has become synonymous with
the overall economic development.

Poverty may be defined as a situation where the availability of the minimum amounts of the
goods and services which are the basic necessities of life is not ensured. Assurance of this
availability depends on the income required to procure the minimum amounts of those goods
and services. This means poverty is defined in terms of money income though its non-income
dimensions are equally significant. Food, clothing, accommodation, education, medical
services are included in the basic needs list social insecurity, lack of employment
opportunities, low wages are the manifestations of poverty. Besides these adequate nutrition,
Sanitation facilities, ability to face disaster and overcome it are also considered as basic
human needs. Security of minimum consumption in the extreme disastrous situation is also an
item in the list of basic needs. As Amartya Sen says “identifying poverty is such a task which
needs focusing on the minimum conditions of living.”

Both the government and non-government organizations have been implementing a number
of programmes for employment and income generation and the upliftment of the poor.
About 54 percent of development and non-development budget has been allocated for direct
and indirect poverty reduction activities. These programmes continue to enhance the
entitlement of the poor and at the same time, their empowerment and awareness building.

A. PROGRAMMES FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN BANGLADESH:

1. Cash transfers programmes

2. Food transfers programmes
3. Special poverty alleviation programmes
4. Micro-credit programmes for self-employment and
5. Other Special poverty alleviation activities.
1. Cash transfers programmes

 Old-Age Allowance programmes

 Allowances programme for widowed, Deserted and Destitute women.
 Honorarium programme for insolvent Freedom fighters
 Training and self-employment programme for insolvent Freedom Fighters and their
wards
 Fund for Rehabilitation of the Acid Burnt and the physically handicapped.
 Allowance for the Fully Retarded.
 Cash transfers programmes for education.
 Primary Education stipend project (PESP); and
 Female Secondary School Assistance programme.
 Rural Maintenance programme (RMD) and
 Food for Work programme (Cash)

2. Food Transfers Programmes:

 Food for works programme

 Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme;
 Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGD) programme;
 Test Relief (TR) programme; and
 Gratuitous Relief (GR) programme.

3. Special Poverty Alleviation Programmes:

 Poverty Alleviation and Goat Development Project

 Providing incentives and financial assistance to poultry and livestock sector
 Poverty Alleviation and Micro-credit Programmes undertaken by Department of
Fisheries
 Fund for Housing the Homeless
 Programme for generating employment for the unemployed youth by the
karmasangsthan Bank
 Abashan (poverty Alleviation and Rehabilitation) Project
 Fund for mitigating Risks due to Natural Disaster
 Programme for mitigating Economic shocks; and
 Fund to meet sudden natural disaster.
4. Specialized Activities for poverty Alleviation:

 Information and communication Technology (ICT) for poverty alleviation

 Rural infrastructure Development programme
 Local Government Engineering Department (LGED)
 Urban poverty Reduction programme
 poverty alleviation and socio-economic Development
 Palli Daridrya Bimochan Foundation (PDBF)
 Bangladesh Rural Development Academy (BARD), Cumilla
 Rural Development Academy (Bogra); and
 Department of social services.

Information and communications Technology (ICT) for poverty Alleviation:

It is widely recognized that the use of ICT has the potential to make easier the process of
achieving the MDG of poverty reduction by 2015.

Rural Infrastructure Development programme local Government Engineering Department

(LGED) under the ministry of local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, has
been implementing various rural infrastructure development. Programmers, especially rural
roads, bridges/culverts, growth centers, construction of embankments etc in rural areas.

Palli Daridrya Bimochan Foundation (PDBF)

The objectives of the Palli Daridrya Bimochan Foundation (PDBF) are to alleviate poverty in
the rural area and promote Socio-economic development. PDBF has been implementing its
activities in 185 upazilas of 28 districts. About 508121 asset less men and women of these
areas have been organized into 17195 groups. These upazilas constitute about one third of the
geographical area of the country with highest incidence of rural poverty. About 94 percent
beneficiaries of this Foundation are women. To achieve PDBF’s goals, Training has been
imparted for human resource development for about 50 lakh person days.

 Bangladesh Rural Development Academy (BARD), Cumilla:

 Small Farmers and landless labors Development programme (SEDP) of Bangladesh Rural
Development Academy (BARD), Cumilla provided collateral free micro credit to 41046
beneficiaries of 8171 non formal groups under 30 Upazila of 8 districts up to June 2006 and
female members constitute 51 percent of the total beneficiaries. Beside, under the project
titled ‘‘Comprehensive village Development programme (CVDP)”, 13284 members were
enlisted as member in 100 co-operative societies up to June 2006. The government accepted
CVDP as a model of National village development to expand it throughout the country in
2005 and BARD (Cumilla), RDA (Bogra), BRDB and Department of cooperatives have been
incorporated within this programme. Other than this, through women education, income and
nutrition Development project, Tk. 2949 lakh was distributed up to June 2006 through 19 non
formal organizations.

Rural Development Academy (RDA), Bogra:

 Rural Development Academy, Bogra has been organizing training and applied research
programme in order to alleviate poverty and to improve the Socio-Economic condition of the
rural people. During FY 2005-06, 3273 participants were trained through 70 training courses.
To develop replicable model for rural development and poverty alleviation, it is
implementing comprehensive rural development programme, Expansion and modernization
of RDA demonstration farm, Arsenic Free Drinking water supply project, Good seed
initiative etc.

B. STRATEGY FOR POVERTY REDUCTION

The strategy as proposed, aims at attacking poverty in three ways:

1. Promoting opportunity for the poor

2. Facilitating empowerment, of the poor, and
3. Enhancing security of the poor.
1. Promoting Opportunity
a) Encouraging effective private investment
b) Expanding into international markets.
c) Building the assets of poor people.
d) Addressing asset inequalities across gender, ethnic, racial, and social divides.
e) Getting infrastructure and knowledge to poor areas-rural and urban.

Facilitating Empowerment

a) Laying the political and legal basis for inclusive development

b) Creating public administrations that foster growth and equity.
c) Promoting inclusive decentralization and community development.
d) Promoting gender equity.
e) Tackling social barriers.
 f) Supporting poor people’s social capital

Enhancing Security

a) Formulating a modular approach to helping poor people manage risk.

b) Developing national programs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to macro shocks-
financial and natural.
c) Designing national systems of social risk management that are also pro-growth.
d) Addressing civil conflict.
e) Tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS:

The target group of the Government project is very limited. It must be expended through the
Country. So that all the poor can be benefited. The allocation of Government budget should
be increased to make programmes effective and extensive. New branches of karmasangsthan
bank should be open to serve more people. The loan limit of this bank may be increase
especially for establishing labour intensive Agro-based small and cottage industries. Effective
measure must be taken to check the losses in the intermediary level so that the poor can take
the best possible benefits from Government project. Government banks and financial
institution should pay more attention on small and medium scale enterprises instead of
corporate services. The number of rural development training institute should be increased
which will positively contributed to make skilled manpower. A pro-poor land reform should
be implemented and equitable distribution of “khas land” to the land less people must be
ensured. Small and landless farmers have to be organized and be motivated in co-operative
forming. Modern information and communication technology can be effectively used to
increased rural production and can it boast their marketing system. Development of rural
infrastructure is very much needed. The micro-credit loan limits must be increased to make
the poverty alleviation initiative dynamic. To reach the desired goal a co-ordination between
the Government and NGO’s activities is a must. The Government Banks should be
distributed more loan among the poor people.