In a recent development, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared 12 new districts and 123 upazilas (sub-districts) to be free of homeless and landless populations. This announcement came as part of the ongoing Ashrayan-2 project, which aims to provide housing to vulnerable families. A total of 22,101 families were provided with semi-pucca houses under this initiative.
The Prime Minister made this significant declaration during a video conference from her official residence, Ganabhaban. With these newly added districts and upazilas, the tally has now reached 21 districts and 334 upazilas across the nation that have successfully eradicated homelessness and landlessness.
During the event, keys to 22,101 houses and ownership documents for parcels of land were handed over to families in various districts. This effort is part of the larger endeavor to rehabilitate around 115,000 individuals within these houses.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina personally engaged with beneficiaries and local residents at three different locations. This distribution marked the sixth occasion of such an event during the Mujib Year, which commemorates the birth centenary of the nation’s founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The specific locations where the housing was distributed include the Barasat Sonar Bangla Palli Ashrayan Project site in Terokhada Upazila (Khulna), Chakla Ashrayan-2 project site in Bera Upazila (Pabna), and Amanullahpur Ashrayan project site in Begumganj Upazila (Noakhali district).
Prime Minister Hasina’s administration has not only focused on providing shelter but also on empowerment. The 12 districts newly recognized for their achievement in eliminating landlessness and homelessness are Manikganj, Rajbari, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Dinajpur, Naogaon, Natore, Pabna, Kushtia, Pirojpur, and Jhalakathi.
In an extensive list, the 123 upazilas include various regions across the country. These efforts signify the government’s commitment to addressing the plight of the homeless and landless population, with a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation.
The distribution ceremony was overseen by PM’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah. Notably, this declaration follows the earlier recognition of nine districts as landless and homeless people-free districts on two separate occasions. In total, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has provided homes to a remarkable 829,607 families through various projects and programs aimed at uplifting the vulnerable. This comprehensive effort has led to the rehabilitation of approximately 4,148,035 individuals since 1997, under the Ashrayan project overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office, as of July 2023.
