Empower local govts

Union Parishad is the only grassroots body which can mobilise rural people for development. Strengthening of UPs will also consolidate democracy in the country, they said.

The seminar, organised by the Union Parishad Advocacy Group, was held at Nilkuthi in Mujibnagar upazila in Meherpur district.

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The speakers said government should give more powers to the UPs and ensure more sources of income for them for local development.

They said grassroots level bodies are the only media through which development programmes can be implemented and a law and order in villages maintained. If these perform well, a congenial atmosphere for development will prevail in the country.

It was presided over by Bagoan UP Chairman Ziauddin Biswas and addressed by, among others, Sharsha UP Chairman Kabir Uddin Tota, Israil Hossian, Abdul Awal and Abdul Latif.

Over 70 UP chairmen and members from 18 unions in seven districts took part in the seminar.

They said the government talks of democracy and recognises the role of local governments for development and poverty alleviation but does not take any step to empower those.

They also called upon the government to shun "political motive" in this regard.

If the local governments are empowered, villagers will get more scope to participate in development activities, they said.