Minister Muhith lauds Krishi Bank initiative to promote rural development and ease pressure on cities

By AKM Moinuddin

Dhaka, Jul 27 (UNB) – The country’s villages will have to be transformed into modern outposts like the villages of Switzerland and Korea with municipal facilities, so that people prefer to stay in villages instead of rushing towards big cities, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said on Tuesday.
“We failed to ensure development of rural areas in the past but this government wants villages to flourish in the truest sense by ensuring connectivity between the activities of villages and towns,” he said.
The finance minister made this remark while addressing the inaugural ceremony of “Ghare Fera Karmasuchi-2010”, a special loan program designed for slum dwellers by Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Krishi Bank arranged the function held at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in the city presided over by Bangladesh Krishi Bank Chairman Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman attended the function as special guest while Managing Director of Bangladesh Krishi Bank Mohammad Mukter Hossain delivered the welcome speech.
Speaking as the chief guest, the finance minister emphasized strengthening activities of the Krishi Bank at the grassroots-level so that the loan seekers can get required information at their doorstep.
“Public involvement is the key tool for agricultural development. So, the bankers will have to knock on credit seekers’ doors, and that will help expand Krishi Bank’s activities,” Muhith said appreciating Grameen Bank’s role in adopting such strategy.
Muhith said the government has prioritised the program (Ghare Fera Karmasuchi) and urged all banks to open such “windows” in their branches for successful implementation of the program.
Central bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman said the program has been undertaken to rehabilitate ill-fated slum dwellers in their own villages with capital, technology and production tools, and it would play a significant role in expanding the social safety net.
He said Bangladesh would be able to see the desired rebirth of the country’s rural economy if such programs can be implemented successfully.
Appreciating Bangladesh Krishi Bank’s role in introducing such an innovative program, the BB governor said it (Krishi Bank) got Tk 5 crore out of total allocation of Tk 10 crore for the program in the last fiscal.
Chairman of Bangladesh Krishi Bank Khandakar Ibrahim Khaled said they want to make Dhaka free of slums by rehabilitating slum dwellers in the healthy areas either in the villages or Upazilas of different parts of the country.
“We have a plan to introduce another program titled “Relief from Slums” which will be the expansion of the present program,” he said adding that Bangladesh Krishi Bank needs other banks’ cooperation in this regard.
He also said that they are planning to form a regional board in seven divisional headquarters to expedite banking activities.
Two beneficiaries of the Ghare Fera Karmasuchi – Md Dula Mia and Shamima Akhter Sharmin narrated how they have become solvent by taking advantage of the program.
Later, the finance minister distributed letters of loan permission among the slum dwellers who will go back to their own villages to make themselves economically solvent.
END/UNB/AKM