LGD proposes Tk 12.3b scheme to employ 79,680 women

The Local Government Division (LGD), under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, has proposed a new Tk 12.3-billion scheme aimed at keeping 70,440 kilometres of rural roads motorable through regular and systematic maintenance, officials said.
According to sources at the Ministry of Planning, around Tk 11.58 billion -- about 94.19 per cent of the total project cost -- is proposed to be transferred to 79,680 ultra-poor rural women engaged as seasonal labourers under the scheme, providing both livelihood support and infrastructure maintenance.
The Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Institutions Division of the Planning Commission has scheduled a project evaluation committee (PEC) meeting to review the project, titled "Rural Road Maintenance and Employment", to be held next Sunday.
The project is proposed to be implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) from July 2026 to June 2028 across 497 upazilas, subject to final approval from the newly constituted Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
Officials said the LGD had earlier submitted a proposal titled "Rural Employment and Road Maintenance Programme-4" in 2024, with an estimated cost of Tk 20.99 billion, fully financed from government resources.
However, the Planning Commission sent back the proposal, recommending that the government either explore foreign assistance or scale down the project by prioritising areas based on the climate vulnerability index (CVI), poverty index, exposure to environmental hazards and overall fiscal capacity.
Subsequently, the LGD revised the proposal, opting for government financing while trimming the cost by 41.4 per cent.
Officials at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) said the division had earlier sought around Tk 19.99 billion in foreign assistance from various sources for the project.
Since its inception in 1974 as the "Food for Work" programme in Bangladesh, the rural development initiative has undergone several transformations.
An official at LGED said CARE Bangladesh launched the Rural Maintenance Programme (RMP) in 1983.
"The RMP was initially introduced as a pilot in seven unions with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
"In 1984, it was expanded to 1,800 unions nationwide with continued CIDA support," he said, adding that the programme later grew to cover 4,006 unions, excluding haor and hilly areas.
Project documents show that LGED and CARE Bangladesh jointly implemented the programme between 1995 and 2002.
From 2003 to 2007, it received funding from the European Union (EU) while maintaining the same partnership.
Between 2008 and 2013, the project was rebranded as the Rural Employment and Road Maintenance Programme (RERMP).
RERMP-2, implemented from 2013 to 2018, was jointly funded by the EU and the Bangladesh government, while RERMP-3 ran from 2019 to 2024 with full government financing.
"Bangladesh is largely rural and agriculture-based, making reliable rural transport vital for marketing farm produce and sustaining local economies," the proposal noted.
Experts stressed that beyond new construction, regular and systematic maintenance is essential to keep rural roads motorable year-round and to protect infrastructure assets.
The proposed project aims to strengthen rural connectivity, facilitate agricultural trade and create income opportunities for rural women, thereby contributing to poverty reduction and improved living standards.
A working paper prepared for the PEC meeting reveals that Planning Commission officials will examine the justification for the estimated maintenance costs, the linkage of the new project with RERMP-3, and the criteria for selecting and training participants.
The meeting will also review contingency allocations, procurement planning under public procurement regulations, the preparation of an exit strategy, and the use of climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable construction materials.

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