Ensure hassle-free govt services

Government services should reach the poor and extremely poor rural people smoothly in order to accelerate the pace of rural development, said speakers at a meeting in Rajshahi.

Creating more transparency is also possible by developing the service of the upazila level government and non-government organisations.

Karmojibi Nari organised the meeting under its "Uniting farm-workers, flourishing their leadership and establishing rights project" at Samokal Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (SSUS) office in Pirganj upazila town on Thursday.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extention, BRAC, RDRS Bangladesh, SSUS and farm-labourers from different villages under Shanerhat and Barodorga unions of the upazila participated in the meeting organised with assistance from Manusher Jonno Foundation.

The speakers put emphasis on creating proper and adequate awareness among both the service providers in government offices and organisations and service recipients for attaining sustainable rural development.

They suggested that all service providers should ensure easier access to information about vulnerable group feeding and vulnerable group development programmes, old-age and maternal allowances and health care and welfare services for poorer people.

The chief guest, Pirganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Samir Chandra Ghosh, stressed that coordinated efforts of the government, non-government and local service providing organisations and public representatives are needed to speed up empowerment of the rural people including women and children.

Representatives of SSUS narrated that their services, being provided to the farm-labourers, farmers and rural people, include promotion of vermi-composts producing technologies, benefits of vermi-composts, and its marketing and utilisation.

BRAC officials mentioned that their services, being provided to the rural people, including the poor and extremely poor sections, cover legal aid, health, hygiene and sanitation, technologies for production and preservation of various crop seeds.

Besides, representatives of other organisations discussed the services being given for marketing agricultural products and helping rural women in getting government services.

Zabid Hossain Swapan member-secretary of the district unit of "Realisation of Farm-labour Law Movement Committee" was in the chair while Manager of Pirganj Upazila Branch of BRAC Saidur Rahman, and SSUS officer Tazul Islam also spoke.