7,102 women get SDF’s financial grants in Sherpur

Md Musharaf Hossain, Sherpur

Financial grants from the Social Development Foundation (SDF) of the Financial Institutions Department of the Ministry of Finance were distributed among 7,102 women in 66 villages affected by the corona pandemic in Nakla Upazila of the district.

Under the Resilience Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Improvement (RELI) project at five venues on Thursday and five venues on Wednesday, financial grants worth Tk 3,55,10,000 were distributed among the poor and extremely poor beneficiary women at the rate of Tk 5,000 each member.

On the occasion, a two-day distribution programme was organized by the Nakla SDF office. Assistant Commissioner (Land) and newly promoted Senior Assistant Secretary Kawsar Ahammad presided over the inaugural grant distribution programme, where retired senior secretary and the board of directors of SDF Md Abdus Samad (Farooq) was present as the chief guest.

SDF Sherpur District Manager Md Shahidul Islam Robin conducted of the inaugural grant distribution programme. Upazila Parishad Chairman and upazila Awami League Joint Secretary Shah Mohammad Borhan Uddin, Vice Chairman Mohammad Saroar Alam Talukder, Director (Operations) of SDF Md Golam Farooq and Urfa Union Parishad Chairman Mohammad Noore Alam Talukder were present as the special guests.

At that time, local dignitaries, Nakla Press Club President Md Musharaf Hossain, Vice President Khandaker Jasim Uddin Minto, Organizing Secretary Nur Hossain, Finance Secretary Abdullah Al-Amin, Members Simanur Rahman Sukhon and Raisul Islam Rifat and others were also present.

SDF’s Director (Operations) Md Golam Farooq and District Manager Md Sahidul Islam Robin said that under the RELI project of SDF, a total of Tk 127,50,10,000 grant distribution work has been completed among the 2.55 lakh beneficiaries in 2,349 villages under 36 upazilas in 12 districts of the country.

Retired Senior Secretary and Chairperson of the board of directors of SDF Md Abdus Samad said that SDF is a non-profit and autonomous organization under the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Bangladesh, which since its inception in 2001 has implemented capacity building, rural infrastructure, livelihood activities, health and nutrition assistance, food security to the disadvantaged and extremely poor. It is assisting the government in achieving socio-economic development through proper financing by ensuring its involvement in integrated and planned economic activities.

He said the RELI project has been approved with the assistance of the Bangladesh government and the World Bank to achieve the goal of building a hunger and poverty free Sonar Bangla and to recover the economy damaged in Covid-19. This RELI project will help the Bangladesh government achieve its poverty alleviation targets.