AT a function sponsored by Prothom Alo and Grammeen Phone as many as 60 persons were felicitated and awarded with crests, citation certificates and mobile phones for their achievement in various spheres of socio-economic activities. These unsung heroes were quietly contributing their mite to our socioeconomic advancement. The recipients included a woman who successfully fought poverty even after her husband deserted her. Among them was also a farmer who worked his way to become a millionaire by dint of sheer grit and bold entrepreneurship.

Both Prothom Alo and Grameen Phone deserve our special thanks for their thoughtful and unique initiative in bringing these heroes of the country under some spotlight. Indeed there is no dearth of talent who have in them the power to alleviate their own poverty.

We urge the good work to continue. We welcome more people and organisations to join in such initiatives hunting for and identifying such talents located in the remote areas of the country silently working away unnoticed. We believe that government and various financial institutions should also come forward with assistance.

The entire media too can play a major role in routinely highlighting presence of such individuals wherever they are and bring these people in touch with the administration and the people at large.

Now is the time to focus our attention on the issue when a kind of awakening already exists amongst the people in rural areas for their empowerment based on self-help. It is also our belief that this venture will serve as an impetus to the rural people in general and may help in discouraging them to move towards the city in search of fortune and identity.