RAJSHAHI, Aug 21, 2019 (BSS) – Around 45,000 more poor and marginal
families are expected to become self-reliant through an anti-poverty project
in Rajshahi city within next six years.
Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) will implement the project titled
‘Livelihoods Improvement of Urban Poor Communities (LIUPC)’ in cooperation
with United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
RCC Executive Engineer and Member Secretary of the project Nur Islam
revealed this while giving an overview of the project in a view-sharing
meeting with all stakeholders at city Bhaban conference hall yesterday
afternoon.
Chaired by RCC Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, the meeting was addressed,
among others, by Panel Mayor Shariful Islam Babu, Ward Councilor Nizam-Ul-
Azim, Chief Executive Officer Shawgatul Alam, social worker Ariful Islam and
former principal of Shahmukhdum Degree College Prof Aminur Rahman.
Engineer Islam said the LIUPC project is intended to achieve long-term
sustainable growth by eradicating urban poverty and achieving Sustainable
Development Goals by 2030.
The project has been designed to reach initially the unserved and
underserved urban population in the city and to promote livelihoods and
living conditions of 1.80 lakh poor people living in urban areas.
Earlier, around 55,000 slum people under 171 community development
committees have come together in anti-poverty savings scheme accumulating
around Tk 12 crore at present with support of UNDP’s another project.
Through the savings and credit programmes, the communities now can
operate their own savings schemes and create a revolving fund from which
credit operations are being managed driving out their poverty, added Engineer
Islam.
Mayor Liton urged all concerned to discharge their duties with utmost
sincerity and honesty for proper and successful implementation of the project
so that the target group of people can derive its total benefits.