DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said poverty is nurtured through the use of microcredit rather than alleviation of poverty.

The prime minister made the remarks while inaugurating ‘Development Fair-2019’ organized by the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) on  Thursday (November 14).

Sheikh Hasina said: “Once upon a time we saw that some people tried to take applause with microcredit and we had extended support to it as we thought the people will be lifted out of the poverty line. But when we thought the issue deeply, we saw that poverty alleviation is not possible through it, rather it (poverty alleviation) is nurtured.”

The premier pointed out that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had launched the microcredit scheme in the country after independence through Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) to boost production of agriculture products and market those properly by uniting the people through cooperatives.

She said some people have earned name and fame by introducing themselves as proponent of the microcredit. But reality is that the people of Bangladesh couldn’t get benefit from it to that extent.

The PKSF has arranged the seven-day ‘Development Fair-2019’ with a view to expanding the market of products made by marginal people and participants of different programmes of PKSF.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal was present as the special guest at the inaugural function of the fair, while PKSF Chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad presided over it.

BDST: 1607 HRS, NOV 14, 2019

AH/SMS