The Ministry of Social Welfare has taken an initiative to make distressed women in the country’s south-western region self-reliant by providing them computer training and driving.
An official of the Ministry of Social Welfare said a large part of the country's population is widowed, abandoned by husbands, orphaned and extremely poor.
In this reality, for the sustainable development of the country, it is necessary to involve the backward widows, divorced, orphans and the extremely poor in the mainstream of development, they added.
The cost for the project has been estimated at Tk 39.70 crore, a planning commission official said. The name of the proposed project is 'Improving Socio-Economic Status through Employment Training for the Poor, Widows, Divorced Women and the Poor', he added.
The main objective and goal of the project is to improve the socio-economic condition of the poor, widows, abandoned and impoverished boys and girls in 24 upazilas of five districts in the south-west region of the country by providing them employment opportunities through giving driving and computer IT ICT training, he said.
A meeting of the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) was held on the project proposal, he said adding that, with the approval of the Planning Minister after the completion of the process, the implementation process will begin in this year and will end in June 2022 under the guidance of the Department of Social Services and Multipurpose Human Welfare Organisation.
In this context, Dr Shamsul Alam, senior member Secretary of the General Economics Department (GED), said, “Such projects play a huge role in alleviating poverty. However, care must be taken to ensure that the purpose for which the project is being undertaken is fulfilled. Proper supervision must be done at the implementation stage.”
Under the project, it has been proposed to purchase 285 computers, 280 computer tables and 280 computer chairs.
The need to buy so many computers was questioned at the PEC meeting. But after detailed discussion, it was recommended to restructure the DPP (Development Project Proposal).
In the project proposal, the Ministry of Social Welfare has said that the problem of unemployment is a big problem in Bangladesh.
For the current situation in the country, there is no alternative but to turn the unemployed population into asset through imparting them employment-generating training.
If the project is implemented, it will be possible to make 8,160 members of the destitute, widowed and abandoned families in 24 upazilas of Chuadanga, Kushtia, Meherpur, Jhenaidah and Magura districts self-reliant.
The main activities of the project include in-house training, hiring charges, computers and accessories, purchase of furniture, rent of office building and so on.
