10 lakh people to come out of poverty by 2025

A poverty alleviation project of the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) is scheduled to cover 10 lakh extreme poor belonging to 2.5 lakh households by 2025.

A webinar on the implementation updates Wednesday revealed PKSF's target set for 2025. The project titled "Pathways to Prosperity for Extremely Poor People" is being financed jointly by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and European Union.

The PKSF began implementing it in 200 unions in April 2019.

As the president of the programme, PKSF Chairman Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said one of the significant causes of poverty is limited income opportunities. "Given this reality, the PKSF is working relentlessly to expand livelihood opportunities for poor and ultra-poor people," he added. 

The project is being implemented in the: Kurigram, Thakurgaon, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Gaibandha and Nilphamari districts in the northern part of the country. It also covers the extreme poor in the country's south-western: Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Magura, Patuakhali and Bhola; and Sunamganj, Kishoreganj and Habiganj districts in the haor region of the north-east.

Adverse effects of climate change in the districts place people and their livelihoods in numerous difficult situations.

PKSF Managing Director Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah said Bangladesh is striding towards being a middle-income country. We hope and believe that the project will contribute significantly to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations and the government's 7th Five-Year Plan goals.

He said the project has identified more than 30,000 impoverished households in its first year and brought them under climate tolerant livelihood and nutrition services. At present, various activities are being carried out to reach out to 10 lakh people with the project services. 

In the meantime, Finance Division Senior Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder said he is happy to know that the multi-dimensional activities of the project are being carried out after identifying poverty and its causes.

The programme was told that 30,000 people hit by the pandemic-led job and food crisis received a total Tk31 crore cash aid under the project.

While addressing the webinar, FCDO representative Judith Herbertson and EU representative Maurizio Cian praised Bangladesh's progress in poverty alleviation. They also promised to continue participating in the country's poverty alleviation efforts.

Among others, Additional Secretary of Financial Institutions Division Arijit Chowdhury was also present at the programme.