DHAKA, Feb 22, 2019 (BSS) – Ektee Bari Ektee Khamar (EBEK) project is planning to increase the maximum amount of its loan to Taka 1 lakh from the existing Taka 50,000 in the next year.
“Currently, the government, through the EBEK project, is disbursing maximum Taka 50,000 as loan among the rural people to initiate small livestock farms. We have a plan to double the amount from the next year as the existing amount is not enough for ensuring standard living for the poor,” EBEK Project Director Akbar Hossain told BSS.
He said the government undertook the project to alleviate poverty and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through fund mobilization and farming.
In line with the key objectives of the project, it has been playing a vital role to make the poor people self-reliant, he added.
Under the project, Akbar said, over 2.18 crore poor and extreme poor people across the country are getting benefits while a total of 89.939 Village Development Associations (VDAs) have been formed from which about 43.63 lakh families are getting benefits.
The government has set a target to form 1.01 lakh VDAs across the country and the number of beneficiary families will be 60.62 lakh by 2020, he added.
The beneficiaries have deposited over Taka 1,522.41 crore till January 2019 and the government has provided Taka 1,323.19 crore as grant under the project, he informed.
EBEK project started in 2009 with Taka 1,492 crore and finally the project was revised in 2016 with Taka 8,010.27 crore. A VDA is formed with 60 members and of them 40 members are women.
Under the project, each member of VDA saves Taka 200 per month and the government gives the equal amount to them as bonus. All the money has been deposited to the bank account of VDA.
After getting fund from the respective VDA, a male or female member of each poor family develops small farms like fishery, livestock, poultry, nursery and vegetable gardening. Thus every inch of land of the low income person is used efficiently for agro production.
After making an income from their farms, the members of each VDA make repayment of their loans in installment to the account of the VDA. Thus the fund is being revolved and utilized for poverty alleviation by these poor permanently.