DHAKA, Oct 24, 2021 (BSS) - Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal today laid the foundation stone of Bangladesh NGO Foundation Bhaban at Agargaonin the capital.

  The 12-storey building having two underground basements will be constructed at a cost of Taka 38.63 crore. Once the construction of the building is completed, Bangladesh NGO Foundation would get its permanent office which is expected to strengthen further the poverty alleviation activities of the foundation, said a Finance Ministry press release.

  Speaking on the occasion, the finance minister said that the year 2021 is a year written in red letter in the national life as three events -- the centenary birth celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Golden Jubilee of country's independence and attaining the final eligibility of country's LDC graduation -- coincide in this year.

  He said it is a matter of pride that the NGO Foundation has started building its own building in this year.

  Highlighting various socio-economic attainments of the country over the last 12 years, Kamal said Bangladesh, under the farsighted leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has attained an unprecedented 7.4 percent GDP growth on an average over the last one decade.

  The release said that the NGO Foundation has a current balance of Taka 270 crore although it received Taka 162 crore from the government as grant since its inception and thus distributed Taka 159.67 crore to its associate bodies from the profit.

  The finance minister said this indicates the sign of important successes of the NGO Foundation, adding that it has been playing an important role in various poverty alleviation programmes in the rural areas by facilitating the lagging behind, helpless and extreme poor communities.

  He informed that some 1,120 NGOs (associate organizations under the foundation) have been continuing their operations at around 7,500 villages. Beside, these are also working to improve further the living standards of the people through conducting special credit operations in the rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Kamal hoped that like in the past, Bangladesh NGO Foundation would continue to work for changing the fate of the marginal and helpless communities in future.

  Finance Division Senior Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder, Financial Institutions Division Secretary Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah, Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department Mohammad Shamim Akhter, among others, attended the programme. Bangladesh NGO Foundation Chairman and former Senior Secretary of the Finance Division Hedayetullah Al Mamun presided over the function.