Honorable Chairpersons, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a pleasure being here in Narayanganj today in anticipation for the National Social Protection Project. This project seeks to address the critical issues of extreme poverty and early childhood development of the urban poor. The urban population of Bangladesh has grown rapidly in the last 20 years. The Dhaka Metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, with 400,000 new migrants coming to the city every year. The inhabitants of Narayanganj are facing the pressures of this rapid population growth daily. Many families that come here face great difficulties in making a living despite the many job opportunities that a city can offer. In particular, poor children are often left out of the benefits of urban life. School drop-out rates in urban areas are on the rise, and malnutrition rates among the poor urban population are disturbingly high. Many of the lowest-income families are unable to provide basic educational and nutritional requirements for their children. The Government and the World Bank both recognize the pressing need for a greater focus on the needs of the urban poor. The National Social Protection Project therefore seeks to establish a social safety net program in urban areas to provide cash transfers to the poorest families. It would also provide funds for Early Childhood Development for young children facilities run by community organizations. The Project is being prepared at a critical time for Bangladesh. The country has a good record of reaching out to the rural poor but the growing numbers of urban poor need urgent support. At a time of rising food prices, this work is all the more important. Narayanganj and Munshiganj have been selected as pilot municipalities by the Government. During the roll-out of the project, Tongi and about a dozen other Pourashavas will benefit from the project. Local Governments play a crucial part in the implementation of the project. They will actually be responsible for providing the cash transfers to the poorest families and grants to for Early Childhood Development to communities. In doing this, they will be assisted by the Local Government Engineering Department under the Ministry of Local Government. Community Development Committees are also of primary importance in project implementation. They would be asked to help, for example, with identifying the poorest families, to help families in getting and maintaining their children in school, and in coordinating with local government officials. The project would also provide support to the Government to improve upon its existing social protection system as a whole, assisting to streamline various programs under uniform targeting and implementation systems for better service delivery to the poorest citizens. I hope this project will bring hope and opportunities for the urban poor and help the nation grow in a socially and economically balanced way. |
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