Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the distribution of brick homes and land ownership to 26,229 landless households on July 21st. Attending the inauguration ceremony virtually, she transferred ownership of land and homes among the members of low-income families. On that day, I was awestruck by the speech given by several of the recipients. They said that they had never dreamed of owning a hut on a piece of land. However, the Honorable Prime Minister has allowed them to live a new life.
Therefore, many of them got emotional while expressing their feelings and prayed for the Hon'ble Prime Minister. It is worthy to note that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is providing homes to the landless people across the country under the Asrayan scheme.'Not a single person in the country will be homeless or landless' - as part of the implementation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's commitment, 1 lakh 31 thousand 645 people in 492 Upazilas of the country have got their address through this project. Many of these poor people have received homes and land ownership as part of Sheikh Hasina's pro-poor policies. A nation will never be able to go ahead if its leader does not have a vision. The 21 years of military rule following the brutal killings of Bangabandhu slowed Bangladesh's growth and advancement.
Sheikh Hasina's efforts to alleviate poverty have
garnered accolades from around the globe. She
has done all she can to help people flourish
Democracy was re-established afterwards, but little progress was achieved in Bangladesh until 2008 because of a lack of continuity of power. The Awami League under Sheikh Hasina's leadership won the 2008 Bangladeshi elections, and since then, the country's success has stunned the rest of the globe.
Mega projects like the Padma Bridge and the Metrorail are only two examples of the country's incredible achievements. We all know the development process must begin from the bottom to sustain. As a result, the development plan must involve everyone from the local to the national level. Flood-affected people, landless, riverine or other marginalised communities have the same right to live with dignity as those of an elite class. But the irony of the fate is that the people of this marginalised and poor community cannot buy land and build houses.
When it comes to politics, Sheikh Hasina has a unique perspective. As well as implementing massive national projects, Sheikh Hasina has also considered how to provide shelter to Bangladesh's most vulnerable citizens. Therefore, she has provided many people around the country with land and homes, allowing them to smile. Those who never dreamed of owning a hut are now receiving brick homes and land ownership. It is a reason to rejoice. As a result of the affection these people have shown for Sheikh Hasina, it may be claimed that she will strive even more to develop Bangladesh. This demonstrates her sincere devotion to the people.
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals was a significant accomplishment for the government. Every nation in the world aims to attain the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, including Bangladesh. Bangladesh's government is meeting the SDGs to a great extent. Housing the landless poor through the Asrayan project will help the government meet its SDG targets since it aligns with many SDGs' goals and objectives. For example, it is directly related to SDG Goal-5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls), Goal-11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) and Goal-16 (Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and Inclusive Institutions at all levels). Therefore, Sheikh Hasina has taken this decision considering this issue very seriously. The achievement of the SDG target will be accelerated by providing houses and land ownership to poor landless people.
Throughout his life, Bangabandhu sought to make the people of Bangladesh happy. He fought against the Pakistani government for most of his life, even while imprisoned. Thus, the country gained its independence under his leadership. After the country gained independence, he envisioned building a Sonar Bengal (Golden Bengal). Assassins, however, prevented him from making it to his final destination. Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangabandhu, has worked diligently to realise her father's goal of building a Sonar Bangla. Since she embodies the leadership style of Bangabandhu, she is trying hard to bring smiles to the faces of the impoverished and helpless, just as Bangabandhu had hoped for the suffering people of Bangladesh.
To help the underprivileged, she has implemented several initiatives like the Asharyan plan. People in the poor community are getting land ownership and ready-made homes owing to this scheme. Her initiative for poverty reduction is best known as the "Sheikh Hasina Model". In her time in office, Bangladesh's poverty rate has reduced significantly, making the country's impoverished people happy to see it. The heads of the government of other nations are likely to emulate certain aspects of Sheikh Hasina's model to enhance the lives of the impoverished in the coming days.
Sheikh Hasina has not only brought so much joy to the life of the impoverished but also worked hard to eliminate social inequalities and prejudices. There is a considerable difference between the rich and poor in our society. She has worked incredibly hard for the last 13 years to narrow the gap between different sections. Considering this, the Prime Minister is helping those who are less poor. She has ensured that they can live with dignity by giving them homes. World leaders have applauded the social safety net programme put in place by the government of Sheikh Hasina. To help the underprivileged obtain their daily essentials, the government supplies these items through OMS. These government initiatives are part of the Sheikh Hasina approach to reducing poverty.
People's admiration for Sheikh Hasina is at an all-time high, notwithstanding the opposition she faces. Her empathy has touched people's hearts. Those who have sought to mislead the public with falsehoods and propaganda could no longer count on the general public's support. Sheikh Hasina has shown over the previous 13 and half years that if the leader of a country has good intentions and a clear vision, the country will progress. Therefore, in addition to constructing the Padma Bridge, the Dhaka Metrorail, and even the tunnel beneath the Karnaphuli River, she has also built homes for the homeless and implemented different social security programs. As a result, Sheikh Hasina's efforts to alleviate poverty have garnered accolades from around the globe. She has done all she can to help people flourish.
The author is a professor at the Department of Public Administration, University of Rajshahi
