Aid, incentives demanded for extreme poor char inhabitants

The extreme poor char inhabitants of the country are now facing a lack of food security due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inhabitants of remote char lands, including Chapainawabganj, Pabna, Sirajganj, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, and Kurigram, have gone many days with little to no food, the National Char Alliance (NCA)said in a press release issued on Thursday.

The alliance said majority of the char lands had not received any food aid.

The current situation demands adequate medical care, food aid as well as a cash incentive for small scale farmers and entrepreneurs, reads the press release.

In this regard, the NCA sought the attention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other policymakers.

The NCA, in a seven-point proposal, asked the government to ensure medical care for the char people; provide monthly allowance and aid for women-headed households; and ensure regular allowance and medical aid for the elderly.

Other requests include providing agricultural credit at zero interest rate; providing access for agricultural products produced in char lands in the market; special arrangement for providing food aid to women and children on char lands; and providing assistance to seasonal labourers.

Being a riverine country, a significant portion of Bangladesh is known as char lands – lands surrounded by water. Char lands are spread over more than 100 upazilas of 40 districts of the country.

Due to the geographical position, char lands are identified as extreme poverty areas.