Fighting unemployment

Government 'khas' lands would be distributed to unemployed youths who are eager to build their career by doing agricultural pursuits and poultry farming.

Agriculture loan up to Tk 25,000 will also be provided to them on easy term from RAKAB (Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank) aiming at making them self-reliant.

Rajshahi City Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu MP, announced this in presence of 60 journalists at his residence in Padma Residential Area on Tuesday.

Observing the plight of unemployed youths, Minu came up with the new project.

'Everyday 90 per cent visitors come to me in search of jobs while the rest others come with a desire for transfer and other problems,' the mayor said.

He called upon the youths to build up their career in agriculture, dairy and poultry farming through proper utilisation of fallow 'khas' land and RAKUB loan.

Minu and his neighbour Samir Uddin Ahmed, a retired sub-assistant engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) have set an example in this regard.

They cultivated vegetable on six bighas of fallow land in the residential area. They developed the land by spending about Tk 90,000 of their own and cultivated different types of vegetables on it. Now they get a good profit.

Showing their farm to journalists, the mayor said, 'We also provided jobs to many unemployed men. We share profit with landowners,' he said, 'Initially we began with two cows. Now we have four cows. We had some hens also which ultimately rose to 43 while the number of sheep sheep increased to 40. We also produced vegetable in abundance which we share with neighbours', he disclosed.

'I have a future plan to bring 500 bighas of land in the residential area under vegetable cultivation programme', he added.