Beggar rehabilitation move on in Nilphamari district

NILPHAMARI, June 3: The initiative to eliminate beggary and rehabilitate beggars in Kishorgonj upazila of Nilphamari district proved to be time-befitting and almost successful, subject to some minor complexities including encroachment of beggars of adjacent upazilas into the project area.

The strategy that the local administration innovated include a survey conducted with the help of RDRS, Ansar and village defence party and found 979 beggars in the upazila.

Afterwards they were categorised likewise the recipients of beneficiaries of government Social Safety Net (SSN) programme. Out of 979 beggars 789 beggars were found not included in SSN for there livelihood.

To create a fund an One Bank account has been opened and local people are encouraged to donate to the humanitarian initiative.

People of all walks of life are responding very positively. Till date Tk 3.8 million has been deposited in this fund by the local people and others. To raise fund Zakat and Fitra are also welcomed.

From the rehabilitation fund materials were distributed among 195 beggars for income generating activities.

The materials include small business items, cow, goat and so on.

An amount of Tk 5000 has been deposited against the bank account of 231beggars for each of them.

 Some were included in One Home One Farm association. Some were included in social safety net program like aged allowance, widow and disabled allowance, employment generation programme of ultra-poor of the Directorate of Disaster Management etc.

While contacted Siddiqur Rahman UNO Kishorgonj said some committees were formed like UP committee headed by concerned UP Chairman, ward committee headed by union ward member and so on.

Sources said Zakir Hossain DC Nilphamari is patronising the initiative and monitoring very closely.  

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