DHAKA, Aug 11, 2023 (BSS) - Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman rehabilitated 1,47,323 landless families through allocating 1,67,830
acres of khas land for them during his three and a half years tenure.

It was the Bangabandhu government who first took the initiatives for
constructing "Guchhcho Gram" (cluster villages) in the country to
rehabilitate the landless, distressed and river erosion-affected people.

As part of the initiatives, four cluster villages were built at Char Clark
under Subarna Char upazila in Noakhali, one at Diara Balua under Companyganj
upazila in Noakhali, one cluster village at Char Poragachha under Ramgati
upazila in Laksmipur and one at Char Darbesh under Sonagazi upazila in Feni
district.

As many as 1,470 families were rehabilitated in the cluster villages.

At the beginning of rebuilding the war-ravaged country, Bangabandhu embarked
on rehabilitation and arrangement for food for two crore displaced people. In
this regard, he took a six-month-long rehabilitation programme till June
1972.

The aim of the programme was to bring back the refugees from India, arrange
temporary housing for homeless people and reestablish farmers, workers,
blacksmiths, potters and weavers in their economic life.

Nearly one crore refugees returned home from India by January 1972.

With the cooperation of the United Nations (UN) and other friendly countries,
the Bangabandhu government placed a "Rehabilitation Budget" having the Annual
Development Programme of Taka 550 core without imposing any fresh tax.

The government constituted the Planning Commission and later adopted the
first five-year plan with Taka 4,455 core.

Under the post-war rehabilitation programmes, arrangements were made to
distribute 1.41 lakh maunds of food grains, reconstruct nine lakh houses and
disburse 9,000 plots among the landless, distressed and affected people.

The government houses worth about Taka 10 crore were damaged in the
Liberation War, while the devastation in the private sector houses was Taka
825 crore.

To solve the housing problem, necessary money was allocated by dividing the
rebuilding work into 10 sectors.

These are the Building Directorate, Khulna Development Authority, Dhaka
Improvement Trust, Chittagong Development Authority, the Department of Works,
the Department of Fire Service, the Department of Police, Parjatan
Corporation and Bangladesh Rifles Survey Department.

At the initiatives of Bangabandhu, arrangement for money was made in the
"Cyclone Preparedness Programme". As a result, training was given to 20,430
volunteers, while over 100 multi-storey shelter centres and 137 "Matir
Kellas" with 15-metre high each were constructed.

There were arrangements for shelter of livestock alongside the people in
these soil-made forts which are locally known as "Mujib Kella".

Bangabandhu inaugurated a Mujib Kella at Poragachha under Ramgati upazila in
Laksmipur on February 20 in 1972 and asked the then Noakhali district
administration to rehabilitate the river erosion-affected, distressed and
homeless people on the government khash lands.

Following Bangabandhu's footprints, her illustrious daughter Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina took the initiative to provide ownership of houses and lands to
homeless and landless people through the Ashrayan Project in 1997.

The prime aim of the Ashrayan project is to eradicate poverty and improve the
livelihood of marginal people apart from ensuring their economic and social
security.

Under the Ashrayan project and other programmes, a total of 82,9607 families
have been rehabilitated, so far, since 1997.

Only Ashrayan project of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has so far
rehabilitated 5,55,617 families with providing semi-pucca houses on two-
decimal of lands with their ownerships alongside free connection of
electricity, water supply and other required amenities.
 
A total of 2,73,990 families were rehabilitated under different programmes of
concerned government offices, including Land Ministry, Disaster Management
and Relief Ministry and Liberation War Affairs Ministry.

The number of rehabilitated people is 41,48,035 (estimated as five persons in
a family).

It is a rare instance in the world as there is no programme in the world that
the landless people are being given free houses and lands.

Not only houses and lands are given, but also free electricity connections
are given, the water supply is arranged, and other facilities are ensured for
them.

On Wednesday last, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared 12 more districts
and 123 upazilas homeless and landless free in the country.

With the new announcement, 21 districts and 334 upazilas have become homeless
and landless free under the Ashrayan-2 project's second round in the fourth
phase.

"Our only target is to make sure none will remain homeless and landless in
Bangladesh and many rich people can come forward to pursue the efforts so
that none can be neglected in the society," she told a countrywide house
distribution ceremony for the beneficiaries virtually joining from her
official Ganabhaban residence on that day.

The soul of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be
happy seeing the efforts to change the fate of the people for which he
sacrificed his entire life, she said.

According to project details, the government also rehabilitated transgender,
gypsies (bedes), small-ethnic groups, patients of leprosy, slum dwellers,
cleaners and insolvent freedom fighters under the Ashrayan-project with
ensuring livelihoods aimed at giving them an improved life.