CPD urges govt to gear up flood relief, rehabilitation activities

FE Team | Published: August 05, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

FE Report
The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has urged the government to urgently clarify its policy and programmatic approach to face the emerging floods and suggested activating the Disaster Management Committees at national, district and thana levels immediately for relief and rehabilitation activities.
The private think-tank has also requested the government to mobilise the development NGOs, community based organisations (CBOs), private sector bodies and concerned individual citizens and development partners towards relief and rehabilitation activities. It has also suggested the Chief Advisor to hold a meeting with the relevant and important actors in this field, it added.
The suggestions came from an expert group consultation organised by the CPD Saturday to discuss the state of affairs in the context of the ongoing floods in the country and the possible consequences in terms of relief and rehabilitation activities.
"There is an urgent need to improve coordination among relevant government agencies and between the government and non-government actors, and instill an overall sense of confidence in the economy and society," the meeting said.
It suggested a review of the food security situation in the context of rising prices in global and regional markets, current level of food stock and pipeline, and possibility of a prolonged flood.
The current food stocks may be replenished gradually in line with enhanced demand through both public and private imports, it said and suggested that energetic steps should be taken to encourage private foodgrain importers to open letters of credit (LCs) and to facilitate border measures.
"The government may like to sit with the potential importers and leading bankers to address this issue urgently," the meeting added.
It said the government has to publicly notify its food stock and distribution status in different thanas and districts and monitor this on a daily basis to instill confidence in the citizens.
For agriculture rehabilitation activities, it said, the government should have a coordinated initiative, particularly involving the private sector banks to enhance flow of rural credit along with specialised government banks.
The micro-credit programmes have to be sustained, as in earlier flood years, to mitigate the misery of the rural poor and it is expected that the micro-credit operators will make available relief grants to its borrowers as well as reschedule debts suitably, if necessary.
"The government machinery should be fully geared to initiate the vulnerable group feeding (VGF) and vulnerable group development (VGD) activities programmed under the annual development programme (ADP) on a priority basis into the flood affected areas. Post-flood rehabilitation activities need to be integrated in the regular anti-poverty programmes," it said.
The government may consider an appeal to all interested citizens and organisations to donate to the Chief Advisor's Relief Fund.
The government may invite international donor funding towards relief and rehabilitation activities and the NGOs may be encouraged to tap their international networks to generate resources for the purpose.
"In the absence of traditional political players in the field, it said, media and civil society will have to play an increased and meaningful role in providing voice to the affected people and ensuring effectiveness of the relief operations," the meeting said.
CPD chairman Rehman Sobhan president over the meeting, which was attended, among others, by Chairman of Public Service Commission Dr Saadat Husain, former Finance Minister M Syeduzzaman, former advisor to the caretaker government Syed Manzur Elahi, former advisor to the caretaker government Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury and Bankers' Association of Bangladesh president M Aminuzzaman.