KHULNA, June 29, 2022 (BSS) – The present government’s safety net programme under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s special initiative has brought smile on the face of many disadvantage and distress people in the Khulna district.

In the last one year, the government distributed Taka 100.21 crore among nearly 2 lakh disadvantage and underprivileged people including elderly, widows, divorced women and disabled people.

“This money is blessing for me. Now, I can buy medicine by my own money . . .  I don’t anymore need to depend on others of my family for that,” said M Torikul Islam, a disabled person residing at Mokampur village under Terkhada thana in the district.      
                 
Torikul is one of nearly 35,000 disabled people of the district those have been receiving allowances from the government under the safety net programme where nearly 11 lakh elderly people and 50,000 widow or divorced women got such allowances here during 2021-22 fiscal year.   

Besides, allowances have also been provided to 1,951 patients with cancer, kidney and liver cirrhosis, paralyzed stroke, congenital heart disease and thalassemia in the district.

In this fiscal, the government provided Taka 20,000 allowance per month to 2015 valiant freedom fighters of the district.

“No previous government gave us such a handsome amount per month as allowance. We are only getting this large monthly amount as the pro-liberation Awami League government under the able leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now in the state power,” said Sardar Mahbubar Rahman, former commander of the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad district unit.    

Under its social safety net endeavour, the government also started rehabilitation programme for the beggars in the district from 2018-19 fiscal year while Taka 2.5 lakh were distributed among 127 vagabonds for creating alternative employments for them in 2020-21 fiscal.   

Under the education support programme for the disadvantage population, the government provided stipend to 651 persons with disabilities, 39 Bede and 569 underprivileges children.  

Moreover, special allowances have been provided to 720 disadvantage people and 13 transgender people while the government imparted different income generating trainings to 150 underprivileged people and 23 transgender community members.

Under the Child Sensitive Social Protection in Bangladesh project, 28 child marriages have been stopped in the financial year 2021-22 under child protection programme.

The district Social Services department is conducting such kind of social safety net activities under its Rural Social Service (RSS) that turned into an important tool for poverty alleviation.
 
Deputy Director of the Khulna Social Services Department Khan Motahar Hossain said the vision of his office is to supplement the government’s efforts in ensuring integrated and sustainable development of the country.

“We are a service-oriented body … our motto is to reach at the doorsteps of disadvantage and under privileged people in the district as much as possible,” he said.  

After the country’s independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman first launched the RSS activities to turn the rural underprivileged people into self-reliant.

“With this objective, all the officers and employees of Social Service Department are working relentlessly,” said department official Masudur Rahman.    

He said the department with its 54 types of social services has been playing an invaluable in implementation of the current government's vision of human resource development in line with delta plan.  

Apart from granting allowances, the department, under its social service activities, also provided financial assistance to nearly 2 lakh helpless and distressed patients those were admitted at different hospitals in the Khulna district.  

The department also rehabilitated 1500 orphans, destitute, helpless and abandoned children, both girls and boys, under the city’s social service programme.   

Bedsides, under Section 47 of the Children's Act 2013, 43 children have been resent to their families by disposing 35 cases from the District Children's Court through amicable settlement.