Photo collage : BSS

By Tapashi Rabeya Akhi

DHAKA, June 18, 2026 (BSS) -  Before the elections, Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman announced his commitment to upholding the rights of all people living in both the plains and the hills, as well as preserving their languages, cultures and social values.

As part of that special BNP initiative, the government, after assuming office, is now going to arrange a special allowance for two of the country’s most marginalized ethnic communities- the Oraon living primarily in the Barind tract of the Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Sirajganj regions and the Mahato residing in Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Naogaon, Bogura, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Natore and Sylhet areas. 
The provision of this special allowance for these two communities will be implemented directly under the purview of the Prime Minister's Office. To this end, the Cabinet Division has sent a letter to the Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office for taking necessary actions.

During the District Commissioners’ Conference held in May, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Sirajganj raised the issue of providing a special allowance for the Oraon and Mahato ethnic minorities. In his proposal, he said, "These two communities are ethnic minorities residing in Sirajganj district and are situated at the margins of society. Plagued by severe poverty, suicide rates have also increased among these communities. Unless they are lifted above the poverty line, these communities will remain hereditarily deprived of various government benefits, such as education, employment, development planning and social inclusion."

The government has taken note of the DC’s proposal. The Cabinet Division has decided to implement six proposals under the Prime Minister's Office. Among the six proposals, five pertain to economic investment, EPZs, and establishing economic zones. The other proposal concerns the special allowance for the Oraon and Mahato communities.

Relevant departments have already been given directives on what needs to be done to implement this proposal. The concerned DCs have also been instructed to regularly submit progress reports on the implementation of the action plan to the Cabinet. These matters were mentioned in the letter sent from the Cabinet Division to the Prime Minister's Office.

Officials from the Cabinet Division told BSS that among the 1,729 proposals received from various districts, after multiple meetings with the concerned ministries and implementing authorities, the implementable proposals were presented to the Prime Minister and other relevant authorities.

Six decisions related to the Prime Minister's Office have been taken for implementation under short-term (one year), medium-term (three years), and long-term (five years) plans.

Mohammad Khorshed Alam Khan, Joint Secretary of the District and Field Administration Branch of the Cabinet Division, told BSS, "Every year, various development proposals come up at the DC Conference. Based on their importance, the government adopts short, medium, and long-term plans. This time too, work has begun on implementing several important decisions, and the Cabinet Division has sent letters to the concerned ministries in this regard."

According to the latest census and household enumeration of 2022, the population of the Oraon community in Bangladesh is 85,846. According to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the Oraon community accounts for 5.20 percent of the country's total ethnic minority population. Historically, they primarily reside in the Barind tract of the Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Dinajpur regions. 

According to the 2022 census, the Mahato community population in Bangladesh is 19,271. According to BBS data, their total population is 19,271 out of the total ethnic minority and marginalized communities, accounting for approximately 1.17% of the total ethnic population residing in the country.

Before forming the government, at a National Representatives' Assembly of Ethnic Minorities held in Mymensingh last August, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said, "BNP wants to build an inclusive and safe country that includes all ethnic groups." Describing each ethnic community as a distinct ‘colour,’ Tarique Rahman said, "We have called the nation a 'Rainbow Nation'- our main goal is to establish unity within diversity. BNP is committed to building an inclusive and safe Bangladesh where all ethnic groups live together in harmony."

Mentioning BNP's special initiatives to uphold the rights of all people living in both the plains and the hills, as well as to protect their languages, cultures, and social values, Tarique Rahman further said, "BNP has plans to include qualified representatives in the National Parliament and party committees, establish a cultural research institute for ethnic minorities, grant trust status to the Tribunal Welfare Association, provide domestic and foreign technical education and training, and facilitate easy access to loans for women entrepreneurs."

The BNP Chairman also said that if every community, whether living in the hill tracts or the plains, remains conscious of matters concerning their own country's interests, no anti-state forces will be able to exploit any opportunity to create confusion.