RAJSHAHI, Nov 23, 2019 (BSS)- Ethnic minority people have elected their own leadership through direct voting in the district yesterday aimed at improving their overall living and livelihood condition.
Standing in long queue, 812 people including 434 females from 857 families in 20 ethnic minority villages elected an 11-member committee through exercising their right of franchise in 11 centres in Chanduria, Soronjai and Panchandar Union Parishads under Tanore Upazila in festive mood.
Through the elections, they constituted the ‘Upazila Ethnic Minority Overall Development Association’ with initiative of a three-year project titled “Fighting Forced Labour with Adivasi and Dalit Communities in South Asia”.
Agriculture Sustainable and Socio-economic Development Organization (ASSEDO), a national level voluntary development organization, is implementing the project with financial and technical support of European Union and Tradecraft Exchange.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Shamimul Islam, Upazila Youth Development Officer Md Sadiquzzaman and Upazila Livestock Officer Nusrat Jahan conducted the polling as election commissioners while their field level workers discharged their duties as presiding officers.
Tradecraft Project Coordinator Shah Shufi Motakkel Billah, ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Alam and its Finance Manager Ajahar Ali observed the election.
Similar type of election was held in 30 villages under Nachole Upazila today. A total of 1,202 voters including 700 females cast their votes in 17 centres and elected 11 executive members of the association which will do welfare of the ethnic minority people within the next two years term.
Rabiul Alam told BSS that around 4,000 ethnic minority people including 2,000 women were engaged in various income-generating activities in the two upazilas for lifting them out of poverty with intervention of the project.
To this end, 1000 of the enlisted people from 2000 households have been brought under need-based training on various trades and vocations like electrics, mobile, mechanic, tailoring, computer operating, beautification, driving, carpentry and building construction.
He also said the project is aimed to address the systemic and structural vulnerabilities of marginalized agricultural communities for eliminating the menace of child labour.