313 needy char households get solar panels in Chapainawabgonj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ, Apr 18 (BSS): A total of 313 poor and distressed households in Char Alatali and Narayanpur unions under Sadar upazila of the district get solar panels and lamps Saturday.
The initiative has been taken to make education activities among the children of the hard-to-reach area time-fitting and expanded coupled with enhancing their literacy rate.
Besides, use of solar power will change lifestyle and socio-economic condition of the beneficiary households. From now, they can watch television, use fans and bulbs and charge mobile phone sets.
Under its 'Nodi O Jiban Projet-2', Agriculture Sustainable and Socio Economic Development (ASSEDO), a right-based organisation, distributed the solar lamps and panels at Char Alatali. Deputy Commissioner Jahangir Kabir addressed the event as the chief guest with agriculturist Rabiul Alam, executive director of ASSEDO, in the chair.
The ASSEDO procured the panels and lamps by spending around Tk 0.5 million (5 lakh) with financial support from CSR scheme of Bangladesh Bank and Concern Worldwide and Irish Aid.
Main thrust of the five-year Nodi O Jiban programme is to ensure food security of the extreme poor community through involving them in diversified productive and income generating activities.
To this end, the project has provision to reduce the erosion of assets and income especially homesteads houses, standing crops, livestock, trees, utensils and furniture.
Linkage was established with union level disaster management committee for capacity building and reducing their vulnerability relating to the adverse impact of climate change through organisational and national level climate change initiatives. Upon successful implementation of the project by June 2016, acreage of homestead gardening coupled with the number of gardeners will be enhanced.