TDS Desk:

Stressing the need for poverty alleviation in Bangladesh, Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud on Monday said there can be no extreme poverty in a just society as everyone should be given the minimum necessary things to survive.

“Now we should not make any excuse that we cannot provide minimum social security to everyone. Therefore, we must take this poverty alleviation as one of our main objectives,” he said.

The adviser said this while inaugurating the three-day ‘National Conference on Social Protection 2025’ at the China Friendship Conference Center in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital.

Disaster and Relief Management Adviser Faruk-e-Azam was the special guest at the event.

Wahiduddin Mahmud said all must also commit to taking it as an economic and political goal from now on. “While we are poor in terms of expenditure, we are poorer in terms of income. The poverty rate is increasing every year. A large number of people are not poor but are just above the poverty line. Their position is not sustainable, they can become poor with a slight shock,” he said.

He mentioned that some people are standing on the verge of poverty and they will drown at the slightest wave. “They are just making a living in a risky situation.”

Wahiduddin said there is a big problem in determining the beneficiaries in the provision of social allowances and said that currently 50 percent of those who receive allowances are not eligible for this benefit.

“They are getting benefits for ghostly or political reasons. If a nationally coordinated list is prepared and monitored at the field level, the names of the real beneficiaries and the eligible ones will come out,” he said, adding that in an egalitarian state, along with education and healthcare, everyone should be given the minimum necessary things to survive.

“There is no point in giving schools or healthcare centers to those who have no means of livelihood. They are not in a position to receive them.”

He said these two issues are inextricably linked, and the values of independence in 1971 and the mass uprising of July last year were also the biggest issue of building an egalitarian society. “Not everyone’s income will be equal, but opportunities must be equal,” he said.

Wahiduddin Mahmud said there are some poverty-stricken areas in the country, and Rangpur was once a seasonal poverty-stricken area. “This seasonal poverty is known as Manga. There was a lot of discussion about Manga in the media around 2003-05.”

“The then government used to deny Manga. It was because of the media that the government recognised Manga and many programmes have been taken to prevent Manga. Currently, there is no such thing as seasonal hunger in the Rangpur region, but poverty is there,” he said.

Wahiduddin said that poverty-stricken areas have been created anew in some other regions of the country like Netrakona, Sunamganj, Satkhira and Patuakhali. “Programmes should be taken to target them.”

“We are in this government for only a few months. Despite this, we want to create a roadmap. If that is done, it will be beneficial for the elected government in the future. They can start from there,” he added.