Editorial
Critical assistance to Mahasen victims
More needs to be done
It is certainly good to see Bangladesh government giving incentives to rehabilitate 2.35 lakh farmers in four cyclone Mahasen affected districts. The agricultural ministry has designed a special incentives programme for distributing seeds, fertilizers and cash to these farmers to bring them back to the path of economic stability which in turn may also help rice export to foreign countries.
When cyclone Mahasen hit last May, approximately 49,000 houses were completely destroyed and 45,000 houses were partially destroyed. Over 1.2 million people were affected. A very organized effort was given by the government and different organizations to minimize the impacts of this disaster and we hope the government will take extra steps for post-disaster rehabilitation, which goes beyond helping 2.3 lakh farmers.
While organizations like Red Cross and Red Crescent society have come forward helping individuals it is important to have an infrastructure by the government which helps the victims of natural disasters irrespective of international funding and other support from local organizations. And these efforts by the government need to be coordinated with all other parties working in these areas to ensure the best outcomes.
It is also important that Bangladesh government has good coordination between the local government bodies who can monitor progress of the seed distribution etc.
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