Govt allocates Tk 4.65b for giving loan without interest to rural people

The government has allocated around Taka 4.65 billion for giving loan without interest to the insolvent and disabled people in villages under the Rural Social Service (RSS) programme in the country.

Social Welfare Minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed gave the information while replying to a query from treasury bench lawmaker Md Afzal Hossain from Kishoreganj-5 constituency in the parliament on Sunday, reports BSS.

The minister said the government allocated the fund with an aim to alleviate poverty and discrimination from the country by ensuring similar scopes for rural and urban people.

The RSS programme is now being carried out at 487 upazilas across the country with a target to bring as many as 27,17,963 people under the coverage of it, he said.

The government has undertaken the programme mainly for the betterment of the poor, insolvent, destitute, burnt and disabled people living in the rural area following the footsteps of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Bangabandhu had taken RSS programme in 19 police stations in 1974 and 'Palli Matrikendra Karjokrom' in 1975 for ensuring uplift of the rural people.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the eldest daughter of the Father of the Nation, had taken the extended RSS programme-5 soon after assumption in office in 1996 and implemented it, while her government implemented RSS programme-6 from 2004-2005 and 2006-2007.

The prime minister on January 2 in 2010 had announced giving allocation in the national budget for providing loan without interest to the rural people commemorating the National Social Service Day.

After the announcement, the AL government has started giving allocation for the RSS programme in the budget since 2011-12 FY.

The cabinet recently approved the “National Coordinated Savings and Small Loan Programme Implementation Policy, 2019” to run the RSS programme under all the ministries in a same manner.