PM to declare 12 more districts free from homelessness on Wednesday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over 22,101 more houses under the Ashrayan-2 project to landless and homeless families on Wednesday as 12 more districts are set to be declared free from being homeless and landless.

A total of 123 more upazilas in 41 districts will be declared  free from being homeless and landless under Ashrayan-2 project totalling the number of upazilas 334 while the total number of completely homeless and landless free districts will stand at 21 with the 12 more districts.

The premier will make the announcement and open distribution of the houses to the homeless and landless families through a video-conference from her Ganabhaban residence.

Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain Miah disclosed the information at a press conference at Karabi Hall of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) here this afternoon.

He said Ashrayan project is a unique one in the world as no other country in the world has distributed houses among landless and homeless families in such a huge numbers and totally free of cost.

PMO Secretary Mohammad Salahuddin and Project Director of Ashrayan-2 Project Abu Saleh Mohammad Ferdous Khan were present on the occasion.

This is the second-stage under fourth phase of the Ashrayan-2 project while 39,365 houses were distributed in the first-round  under the second phase on March 22, 2023.

A total of 63,999 houses were distributed under the first phase on January 23, 2021, 53,330 under second phase on 20 June 2021 and 59,133 two-stages under third phase during the Mujib-Barshao. 

With the distribution of 22,101 more houses, the total number will stand at 2,38,851 under the Ashrayan-2 Project. 

The principal secretary said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over houses along with lands virtually joining the ceremonies in three upazilas from her official Ganabhaban residence. 

The premier will directly exchange views with the beneficiaries of Barasat Sonar Bangla Palli Ashrayan project under Terokhada upazila in Khulna district, Chakla Ashrayan-2 project under Bera upazila in Pabna  and Amanullahpur Ashrayan project under Begumganj in Noakhali.
 
Under the project, the landless and homeless people will get good quality tin-shed semi-pucca houses on two decimals of land.

Tofazzel Hossain Miah said the prime minister will also declare Manikganj, Rajbari, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon Naogaon, Natore, Pabna, Kushtia, Pirojpur and Jhalakathi as homeless-landless free districts while earlier she declared nine other districts as landless and homeless free including Panchagarh and Magura.

The principal secretary said if anyone of these areas becomes homeless and landless due to river erosion, natural disaster or any other reason, they will be given houses along with land.

He said ownership of land is given to both husband and wife and land registration and mutation are also given after the names of both husband and wife.

Tofazzel Hossain Miah said the government is not only building houses of the project on khas land rather lands are being bought from Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust to build houses.

Donations from individuals are also received to this end, he mentioned.

Replying to a question, when the government will start building houses for those who haven't houses or better houses but lands, he said now the government is providing houses only to landless and homeless people under the project and after the end of this process, it will begin constructing houses for those who don't have houses or whose houses are in dilapidated state. 
    
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced the rehabilitation programme for homeless people in 1972.

Following the footprints of Bangabandhu, her daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the initiative to provide ownership of houses and lands to homeless and landless people through the Ashrayan Project in 1997. 

Under the Ashrayan project, a total of 829607 families have been rehabilitated so far since 1997. The number of rehabilitated people is 41,48,035 (estimated as five persons in a family). 

The Ashrayan Project of the PMO has already rehabilitated 5,55,617 families directly while 2,73,990 families were rehabilitated under different programmes of concerned government offices, including the Land Ministry, Disaster Management and Relief Ministry and Liberation War Affairs Ministry.