Financial support towards slum households for their small-business promotion could be effective means of freeing the urban poor and extreme poor communities from the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger. Mayor of Rajshahi Mosaddeque Hossain Bulbul said this while disbursing bank cheques for block grants worth Tk 8 lakh among 160 poor and extreme poor women at two places in the city.
Rajshahi City Corporation under its ‘Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction Project (UPPRP)’ hosted the grant disbursing ceremonies in Seroil Colony and Haragram areas on Sunday.
Under the scheme, around 1,700 slum households will get block grants valued Tk 65 lakh for promotion of various income generation activities especially small business and goat rearing.
Mayor Bulbul urged the cheque-recipients to put in their level best efforts for successful promotion of their small business after best uses of the grants for elevating their living and livelihood condition.
In his address of welcome, UPPRP town manager Ershadul Haque said the project was being implemented for improving the living and livelihood condition of around three lakh poor and extreme poor people, especially women and girls, in the city.
UNDP in association with UK Aid and UN Habitat are extending financial and technical supports to the project.
The programme promotes household and community level urban food production technology demonstrations and provides small input supports especially for high yielding variety vegetable and fruits seeds, saplings and poultry vaccination to the target group.
RCC ward councillor Nuruzzaman Tito and Mustaque Hossain Ratan and other officials concerned were present on the occasion.
-With BSS/New Age input
