Finance adviser pledges support for Shaheed families

Finance Adviser Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed today (12 November) pledged to provide financial assistance and vocational training to support self-reliance among members of Shaheed families and the injured beneficiaries of the Social Development Foundation (SDF) who participated in the July-August movement.

He made the commitment while speaking at a ceremony held at the SDF headquarters in Dhaka, where financial aid and grants were provided to the families of martyrs and the injured members of the foundation.

At the event, Saleh Uddin said the sacrifices and participation of SDF member families demonstrate the solidarity of the student and public uprising during the mass movement of July-August, in which people from all walks of life participated.

A total of seven people from the beneficiary families were martyred in the frontline movement, 16 sustained serious injuries, and 33 others under the World Bank-supported Resilience, Entrepreneurship, and Livelihood Improvement (RELI) Project of SDF were injured during the July-August 2024 protests.

The adviser distributed financial assistance to the families of the seven martyrs, providing Tk200,000 to each family. Additionally, Tk100,000 was given to each of the 16 seriously injured individuals, and Tk50,000 was provided to each of the 33 others who were injured.

Alongside this financial support, the affected families have been actively engaged in poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement activities at the grassroots level, as part of the project's objectives.

Presided over by Dr Mohammad Abdul Majid, chairman of the SDF Board of Directors, former Secretary, and Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the function was attended by Nazma Mubarek, Secretary of the Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Finance, as special guest.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, members of the SDF Board of Directors and Governing Body, journalists, and family members of the martyrs and the injured also attended it.

The Social Development Foundation (SDF), an autonomous, non-profit organisation under the Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance, has been operational since 2001.

Its mission remains focused on improving livelihoods, reducing poverty, and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across Bangladesh.