Harijons devoid of minimum living standards
Says Abul Barakat
Social and Welfare Minister Enamul Haque Mostafa Shaheed speaks at a function titled "Poverty reduction of Harijon community" organised by Manusher Jonno Foundation at the Public Library Auditorium in the city yesterday.
Though there are at least seven clauses in the constitution of Bangladesh where freedom, right and dignity of Harijon Community is reserved, they do not enjoy minimum standard of life, said eminent economist Abul Barakat yesterday. He also said secularism was established in the country through liberation war. But in the last 38 years the rights of the minority community were not established as different governments changed the constitution. Prof Abul Barakat, however, felt that the rights of those communities would be established through the return to the 1972's constitution. The professor of economics department of Dhaka University was addressing a discussion titled "Poverty reduction of Harijon community" organised by Manusher Jonno Foundation at the Public Library Auditorium in the city. Abul Barakat recommended the government to give constitutional rights to each minority and ethnic community. "There should be a law on abolition of discrimination and its strict implementation,” he said. Cells should be formed at the concerned ministry, he said, adding that the community should be included in the Safety Net Project and separate allocation should be made in the national budget for the Harijon community. In his speech as chief guest, Social and Welfare Minister Enamul Haque Mostafa Shaheed said the government would take all necessary steps to protect the basic rights of the Harijon community. Nirmal Chandra Das, secretary general of Bangladesh Harijon Oikkya Parishad, said though the community has been serving the nation by engaging themselves in the cleaning occupation, they live in very disagreeable conditions. "We always suffer from insecurity. People do not want to recruit us in any profession except sweeping,” he added. Though there is no census on minority community conducted after the liberation, Nirmal Chandra claimed that there would be about 14 lakh Harijon people living throughout the country. About 1,500 sweepers work under Dhaka City Corporation. Chief Waste Management Officer of Dhaka City Corporation Bipon Kumar Saha, lawyer of Bangladesh Supreme Court Satendra Chandra Vakto and Director of Fair (a non-government organisation) Dewan Akhtaruzzaman also spoke on the occasion. President of Bangladesh Horijon Oikkya Parishad Babu Krisnalal presided over the programme.
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