Char development needs budgetary allocation

More than 100 upazilas of 32 districts in the country have island-like chars. About 5-6 million people live on these chars and face various kinds of risks and vulnerabilities. From geographical analysis, these char-islets are highly poverty-prone areas. These are severely affected by river erosion. Moreover, recurring floods, drought, and sand storms are comparatively high in frequency on char-lands.
A large section of char people is extremely poor. Most of these poor people are deprived of basic rights such as food, education, health and habitation.  
Between five and six million people in Bangladesh live on char-lands, of which island (deep, isolated or detached) chars are land masses surrounded by water either throughout the year or at least for a significant part of the year.  Because the rivers constantly change courses, some chars eventually become parts of the mainland and are then referred to as mainland (or attached) chars.  Characteristically, some chars are highly prone to erosion and change shape annually as their edges erode.  Others, called stable chars, may remain relatively unchanged for decades.
The major prerequisite for the char people's development is specific allocation for them in the national budget and utilisation of that fund. But instead of being the focus of development, the regular government funds also keep eluding the char people.
The char population are deprived of the development programmes. Though there were some allocations in two national budgets (FY 2009-2010 and FY 2010-2011), no allocation was seen in the last three national budgets- FY 2011-2012, FY 2012-2013 and FY 2013-2014 for improving the living standards of the char dwellers. Consequently, it has resulted in extreme development discrimination and deprivation for char inhabitants. The different programmes under poverty reduction and food security measures include building community-based adaptation to climate change in flood-prone regions through building flood shelters, disaster risk mitigation, coastal forestry and comprehensive disaster management programmes etc. However, there are some programmes aimed at improving the living standards and building capacity that include char livelihood programmes, Asrayan, national nutrition programme, economic empowerment of the poor, employment for the extreme poor people in northern Bangladesh, and school feeding programmes.      
Char dwellers do not get the benefits of Social Safety Net Programmes (SSNPs). The inhabitants of island-chars are extremely poor and they urgently need social safety net supports. The range of extreme poor coverage in the mainland is 40 per cent-45 per cent. Due to equal allocation of SSNPs, 80 per cent extreme poor of the mainland seem to get the support of safety nets, whereas it is just 20 per cent-25 per cent for remote island-chars. The remote island-chars are more prone to risks of natural disasters compared to other poverty pockets of the country.    
According to the Bangladesh Economic Review-2012, the rate of extreme poverty across the country in 2005 (HIES-2010 based on CBN method) was 40.4 per cent, which remarkably decreased in 2010 at 31.5 per cent. The government puts significant emphasis on the sustainable SSNPs for the extreme poor people aimed at reducing the poverty rate to 25 per cent and 15 per cent in 2013 and 2021 respectively through planned economic development. The government pursues sustainable development, for instance, achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) within 2017, executing Bangladesh Perspective Plan (2010-21) as a long-term development model, and the implementation of the Sixth Five Year Plan (2011-2015) etc.
Priority-based and essential programmes for improving the extreme poverty conditions in char areas have been incorporated in the Sixth Five Year Plan. But the reflection of it has not yet been found in remote char areas. It would not be possible to achieve the goals of MDGs through the implementation of different strategies of poverty reduction under the Sixth Five Year Plan without focusing on the issues of char development. And for that char areas should be seen as specific and separate in the light of adopted strategies under the development planning. Simultaneously, specific allocations in the national budget and their utilisation have to be ensured for improving the living standard of char dwellers. The extreme poor inhabitants of different chars look forward to the upcoming national budget (2014-2015), which will be placed in parliament very soon. We hope that allocations for people on the char-lands in the new national budget will be increased. In several pre-budget meetings last year, the Finance Minister assured the nation of a separate budget for char development. But that assurance has not been translated into reality. We expect that in the upcoming national budget, a separate segment will be kept for the char people.
Zahid Rahman is member-secretary, National Char Alliance (zahidrahman67@gmail.com)                   Mandira Guha Neogi is associate                coordinator, Unnayan Shamannay             (mandira.guha16@gmail.com)