40-day job scheme starts in Lalmonirhat today
Failing to get earning sources in their poverty-stricken areas, a few working class people wait at Lalmonirhat railway station to go to other places in search of work. The photo was taken a couple of days ago. Photo: STAR
A large number of poor people, mostly farm labourers in rural areas of the district, usually struggle for survival every year in absence of farming activities before the harvest of aman paddy. To provide job for the ultra poor people in the district, the government has sanctioned Tk 5 crore 47 lakh 33 thousand under a 40-day job scheme from October 10 to November 20 this year but the programme is going to start today, only a few days before ending of the period. “We will start the government's 40-day job programme in the district tomorrow [Monday]. Under the project, 7819 ultra poor people in five upazilas of the district will get job opportunity. We could not start the October-November job scheme in time as my office received the fund late," Lalmonirhat District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Anwarul Islam said yesterday. Each of the 7,819 ultra poor people will get Tk 175 as daily wage for working seven hours a day, District Relief and Rehabilitation Office sources said. Monga, a famine-like situation, prevails in greater Rangpur region including Lalmonirhat district during Bangla months of Ashwin and Kartik every year, when the poor people hardly find any earning sources due to absence of farming activities, locals said. This year is also no exception. The situation is forcing a large number of ultra poor people to go to the capital and other places in search of job. "I and 10 other people of my village are waiting for train to go to Bogra in search of job," Monsur Ali, 42, a resident of Chondimari village in Aditmari upazila, told this correspondent at Lalmonirhat railway station a couple of days ago. Yasin Ali, 45, of Dolgram village in Kaliganj upazila, said, "I and seven others in our village are going to the capital with hope to earn money by pulling rickshaw there.” Day-labourers Suza Miah, 40, Jabbar, 28, and Ali Mohammad, 52, of Paruliya village in Hatibandha upazila said they are living a miserable life due to joblessness. Earlier the government had sanctioned 10 lakh 57 thousand and 500 kg of rice for distribution among 70,500 VGF (vulnerable group feeding) card holders in 45 unions and two municipalities in the district for August-September period this year, official sources said. But distribution of VGF rice in the district ended on September 25, leaving the ultra poor people, particularly unemployed day labourers, in utter misery. "We have to suffer until the start of harvest of transplanted aman paddy. Harvesting season, which will start after about 10 to 12 days, will give us a temporary relief from the hard time," said Rahim Uddin, a farm labourer at Kalmati village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Mokhlesar Rahman Sarker told this correspondent, "The word monga is not appropriate for this area now, as the farmers in Lalmonirhat district have produced surplus food in the last three years. It is true that there is poverty in the district but there is no hunger."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments