DOT Desk: The government has taken a special initiative for improving the socio-economic condition of small ethnic groups living on plain land through a combined livestock development scheme, reports The Daily Sun.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has submitted a Tk 381 crore project to the Planning Commission which is scrutinising the proposal to place it before ECNEC for final approval.
With the scheme, the government expects to intensify its poverty reduction efforts and improve access to animal protein for the disadvantaged population.
The proposed project will be implemented in 201 upazilas in 29 districts excluding the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) districts.
Bangladesh is a country which has a long history of peaceful co-existence of people of multi-ethnicity, culture, language and religion.
Even though Bangalees are dominant, there are many small ethnic groups who are living beside the dominant segment and maintaining their own cultural heritage, social institutions and organisations.
According to Cultural Institution for Small Anthropological Groups Act 2010, the country has 27 ethnic minority groups.
Some 42 per cent of this ethnic population lives in CHT areas, while the rest 58 per cent lives in other plain land areas across the country. The plain land ethnic groups include Santal, Orao, Barman, Khasi and Garo.
In general, these small anthropological groups are lagging behind the mainstream population. But the ethnic minority groups living in plain lands are more deprived than those living in hilly areas.
Because of poverty and backwardness, the plain land ethnic groups are coming out of their traditional practice for living, endangering their own culture and uniqueness.
Despite public and private initiatives they are still lagging far behind, which led the government to take the initiative to improve their livelihoods, fisheries and livestock ministry officials said.
Under the proposed scheme, beneficiary families will be selected and grants will be distributed among selected farmer families.
Moreover, appointment of part-time field facilitators, providing training to them and materials distribution will be done.
Creating exhibition plots of grass and facilitating market expansion for grass cultivation, marketing of products and procurement of medicine and vaccination scheme will also be carried out under the project.
Once approved, the Department of livestock will implement the project by December 2023.
The planning commission will hold an evaluation meeting on the project soon to make it ready for Ecnec meeting, official sources said.
The project has placed in the current year’s ADP book as a new and unallocated project.