Public-private efforts must for poverty cut

Speakers at a discussion yesterday underscored the need for coordination among government, non-government and business organisations to eradicate poverty from the country.
They were addressing the inaugural session of a daylong event including fair and discussions on poverty alleviation organised jointly by WaterAid and Shiree, a non-government organisation, at Bashundhara Convention Centre-2 in the capital.
Dr Mihir Kanti Majumder, secretary at Rural Development and Co-operatives Division, said the situation of those in extreme poverty would improve if they could reach healthcare and education.
If that is possible, extremely poor people would be able to earn their livelihoods on their own and contribute to the country's economy, he said.
In another discussion, speakers made some recommendations to address specific risks and vulnerabilities to gender and marginalised communities of the country.
Mentioning that women have special needs, Prof Ferdous Jahan of Dhaka University said these needs should be recognised.
She mentioned security as one of the special needs.
Sahana Siddiqui, community facilitation coordinator of Solution Exchange of UNDP Bangladesh, suggested political participation of extremely poor women to empower them.
Besides the discussions, a daylong fair was held featuring NGO projects on poverty, the private sector's initiatives under corporate social responsibility and the beneficiaries of those projects.
The underprivileged people with disabilities who received vocational training from Shiree-ADD (Action for Disability and Development) set up a stall showcasing their skills in tailoring, fixing electronic gadgets and embroidery.