DHAKA, Nov 12, 2024 (BSS) - Finance Adviser to the interim 
government Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has pledged to provide financial assistance 
and vocational training to make self-reliant of the Shaheed family members 
and injured beneficiaries of Social Development Foundation (SDF) who 
participated in the anti-discrimination student movement during July-August 
2024.
 
"The sacrifices and participation of SDF members demonstrate the solidarity 
of the student and public uprising during the mass movement of July-August 
2024, in which people from all walks of life participated," he said.
 
Dr Salehuddin, also the adviser of Science and Technology ministry, made this 
commitment today while speaking as the chief guest at a ceremony held at the 
SDF headquarters in the city where financial aid and grants were provided to 
the Shaheed families and the SDF injured members who were involved in the 
July-August mass uprising.
 
A total of seven individuals from the beneficiary families under the World 
Bank supported Resilience, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Improvement (RELI) 
Project of SDF were martyred in the frontline movement, 16 sustained serious 
injuries and 33 others injured during the July-August protests. 

In addition, several other individuals were affected to varying extents.
 
Each of the seven martyred families received Taka 200,000 while each of the 
16 seriously injured individuals got Taka 100,000 and 33 injured members 
received Taka 50,000 each as financial assistance in the ceremony.
 
Along with this financial support, the affected families have been actively 
engaged in poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement activities at the 
grassroots level, as part of the project's objectives.
 
Chairman of the SDF Board of Directors and Chairman of the National Board of 
Revenue (NBR) Dr. Mohammad Abdul Majid presided over the function.

The event was attended, among others, by Secretary of the Financial 
Institutions Division under Ministry of Finance Nazma Mubarek, its senior 
officials, members of the SDF Board of Directors and Governing Body, 
journalists and family members of the martyred and injured families.
 
The primary goal of the ceremony was to honor the martyrs and offer prayers 
for their souls while expressing sympathy and support to the families of the 
martyrs and the injured in the anti-discrimination movement of July-August 
2024. 

The SDF, an autonomous, non-profit organization under the Financial 
Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance, has been operational since 
2001. Its mission remains focused on improving livelihoods, reducing poverty, 
and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 
(SDGs) across Bangladesh.