Photo : BSS

NETROKONA, June 11, 2026 (BSS) - House-building materials and livestock support have been distributed among 100 families of backward small ethnic groups in Kalmakanda upazila of the district as part of a government initiative aimed at improving their socio-economic conditions and living standards.

The distribution ceremony was held on Thursday morning at the premises of the Upazila Livestock Office and Veterinary Hospital.

Under the government's project titled “Socio-Economic and Living Standards Development of Backward Small Ethnic Groups Living in the Plains,” each beneficiary family received two corrugated tin sheets, four cement poles, and five floor mats for housing support. Earlier, each family had also been provided with two goats under the same project.

The event was presided over by Upazila Livestock Officer Dr. Kanika Sarkar. Among others, present were Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Md. Lutful Kabir, Deputy Assistant Livestock Officer Md. Delwar Hossain Chowdhury, Field Worker Achinta Hajong, Kalmakanda Press Club President Sheikh Shamim, General Secretary Obaidul Haque Pathan, and local dignitaries.

Speakers at the programme highlighted that various government initiatives aimed at strengthening the economic capacity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods of small ethnic communities are already producing positive outcomes. They said that housing assistance, alongside livestock-based income-generating activities, would further help beneficiaries achieve self-reliance.

According to sources from the Department of Livestock Services, a range of support activities is being implemented under the project to ensure nutritional security, expand income-generating opportunities, and enhance the economic capacity of marginalized communities.