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Published on May 27, 2022
Families who have been struggling to make ends meet with their children under the scorching sun in the streets or slums without finding a place to sleep are now happy to have the opportunity to live in a proper house.
At the initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 3.53 million people from 778,040 families have found a place, a permanent address which they have only dreamt of.
On 19th May 1997, a deadly cyclone hit the coasts of Cox's Bazar. On the next day, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the St Martin's Island of Teknaf upazilla and directed officials to take necessary steps for rehabilitating the families who lost their homes. Following her instructions, the rehabilitation program started and houses were built on land given by a local Awami League leader.
After this, the Ashrayan project was taken up to rehabilitate every homeless, landless and uprooted family around the country who lost their homes to cyclones and river erosion. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was directing the project. To date, 778,040 families have been rehabilitated under this project. The homeless families have been given a 2% land, a two-room house equipped with a kitchen, a toilet and a bathroom.
Various vocational training is being imparted to increase the capacity and efficiency of the beneficiaries. Beneficiaries living in these barracks, in particular, are being trained in multiple occupations such as fish farming, carpet weaving, nursery, nakshikantha, welding, electric wiring and rickshaw-bicycle-van car repair. They can also avail of a loan of up to Tk 30,000 for starting an income-generating business or profession.
The barracks provided food assistance to rehabilitated families under a three-month VGF program at the initial stage. They are given priority in receiving benefits under maternity, old age, widow or other social security programs. In other words, a poor person is receiving every assistance to become self-confident and turn into human resources in various processes.
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