DHAKA, July 29, 2018 (BSS) – State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Md Mashiur Rahman Ranga today said the government has taken a special initiative to improve the living standard and socioeconomic status of waste management and sanitation workers.
“The government has modernized the waste management system to keep the country’s municipalities and city corporations clean, environment friendly and healthy,” he said, addressing a workshop in the city.
Practical Action and European Union (EU) jointly organized the workshop on improving living standard and socioeconomic status of the deprived people engaged in the waste management at CIRDAP auditorium in the city, said an official release.
Shirin Akhter, MP, EU governance team leader to Bangladesh Audrey Maillot and Practical Action’s Bangladesh Country Director Hasin Jahan addressed the workshop as special guests.
Currently, about 60 lakh people are involved across the country in different stages of waste and sludge management to keep the cities and environment clean, safe and healthy, Ranga said, adding that 90 percent of them have no land for habitation.
They are also being deprived from the rights of education, he said and urged the affluent people and volunteer organizations to come forward along with the government to improve the standard of living of the disadvantaged group.
A plan has also been taken to turn the huge amount of waste, produced in the country daily, into resources that will be able to contribute to the national economy, he said.
Addressing the workshop, the other speakers emphasized on developing capacities of the municipalities and city corporations, allocating sufficient budget, developing an effective business model at local level incorporating the waste workers, creating new business opportunities, establishing cooperative and national platform for the waste workers and initiating new technology to increase the quality of the services and reduce health hazards.
Practical Action in association with Karmojibi Nari and Municipal Association of Bangladesh will implement a project to improve the living standard of thousand of waste and sanitation workers in Barguna, Bagerhat, Faridpur and Gazipur for the next three years. The EU will fund the project.