About 47,000 homeless families rehabilitated in Rajshahi div

RAJSHAHI, July 13 (BSS): Around 47,000 homeless families have been rehabilitated through providing them with various need-based supports like housing, employment and technical knowledge in Rajshahi division in the past ten years, official source said.
"We have established 2,046 barracks under 286 ashrayan projects implemented on 962.48 acres of land rehabilitating a total of 17,825 underprivileged families," said Nur-Ur-Rahman, Commissioner of Rajshahi division.
Around 29,132 homeless families were also rehabilitated under Guchhagram and Tk 0.1 million house building programmes, he said.
Upazila level government departments are implementing various time-fitting programmes for improving living and livelihood condition of the rehabilitated families, he added.
Rabbi Islam, 18, an inhabitant of Gopalpur Ashrayan Project under Godagari upazila in the district, has appeared at the HSC examination this year.
Rabbi's family had no place of taking shelter when their dwelling house had been devoured by the river Padma around ten years back.
After getting the home now he's dreaming of becoming a teacher after completing his graduation.
A total of 134 distressed and homeless families have got their identity in the 'Ashrayan Project'.
They were imparted training on various income-generation activities like agriculture, poultry, goat rearing and beef fattening.
"Each of the trained families was given highest Tk 25,000 as loan," said Raisul Islam, Upazila Rural Development Officer, adding that the families have found the path of attaining economic emancipation through the money-making works.
Mushkan, 12, daughter of Sunil Kumar, an inhabitant of Kandra Ashrayan Project under Puthiya Upazila, is now a student of class six after getting scholarship in general grade in class five.
Expressing his deep gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the shelter, Sunil said the benevolent initiative would contribute a lot to education expansion among girls coming from the marginalised families.
Tahera Begum, 55, a widow, is happy with her own income. Now, she runs her family by selling own cow's milk.
"After my husband's death around 10 years back, I used to beg. I had to pass night on footpath or railway platform as I had no house to live," said Tahera in a chocked voice.