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Jobs for the poor take wider space in budget

Star Business Report
Keeping in mind the election manifesto to provide job for a person of a family by 2014, the Awami League (AL)-led government in its budget focused on employment generation in agriculture and infrastructure sectors, labour-intensive and small and medium industries.
Under various programmes, allocations have also been proposed to encourage self-employment through micro-credit and skill development programmes with special emphasis on information and communication technology, and create skilled manpower for overseas jobs.
The government also declared it will not close any industrial or commercial enterprises until alternative arrangements are made for the displaced workers, and proposed allocations for rehabilitating the expatriate workers who returned home after losing jobs due to global recession.
"We will create employment opportunities in agriculture and rural sectors. Construction of labour-intensive infrastructures will receive top priorities," Finance Minister AMA Muhith said in his budget speech yesterday.
"Eventually we will go for industrialisation in targeted sectors," he said.
Reviewing the current fiscal year's 100-day Employment Generation Scheme, the government proposed a changed programme styled Employment Generation for the Hardcore Poor with Tk 1,176 crore in FY 2009-10 to create employment for 49 lakhman-montlis.
"We expect that with efficient leadership and management of this programme, the rural economywill become vibrant. On the other hand, we will also be successful in tackling seasonal and local poverty likemonga," he said.
Under the annual devel-opment programme (ADP), employment for 264.8 lakh man-months of work will be created, which is 23.2 percent (49.76 lakh manmonths) more than that of the revised budget of FY 2008-09.
In FY 2009-10, an additional employment of 77 lakh (6.4 lakh for the whole year) man-months will be created under nondevelopment and development budget over that of the previous year.
Test Relief (TR), Food for Work (FFW), and such other programmes being implemented from the revenue budget will create an employment of 2.87 crore man-months, which is 10 percent (27.3 lakh manmonths) more than that of the revised budget of FY 2008-09.
According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data (compiled in 2005-06), 21 lakh people above the age of 15 years are unemployed. In the next fiscal year employment opportunity for 32.57 percent of this unemployed population will be created, Muhith said.
"In line with our election manifesto, the government undertook a project styled "One Household One Farm" to be implemented during
July 2009 to June 2014 at an estimated cost of Tk 1,246 crore, he said.
A total of 5,78,400 rural families will be brought under this programme and 29,00,000 people will be benefited from this project directly or indirectly.
“As part of our strategy for industrialisation, we shall attach priority to the development of agriculture- and labour-intensive industry, where feasible," said Muhith.
The government is also going to take up different programmes for the marginalised rural people to extend credit, impart training on social and skill development and provide significant activities for women empowerment through Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, the minister said.
"In a labour-surplus country like ours, small and medium enterprises, cottage industries, selfemployment and selfmotivated economic activities will be the key fundamentals to overall development," hesaid.
Muhith proposed a special allocation of Tk 20 crore in the next fiscal year for training programmes to enhance professional effi-
ciency of the youth having Higher Secondary School Certificate or equivalent.
A total of 125 youth training centres will provide training and after a 3-month training period they will be employed for two years in different fields.
The minister proposed allocation of Tk 170 crore for rural roads maintenance project, which employs poor working people, Tk 76 crore for the rural employment facilities for the protection of government assets, Tk 12.85 crore for employment generation in the northern region for hard core poor of Monga-hit areas, Tk 75.60 crore for the Char areas, rehabilitation package for the poor and Tk 57.83 crore for economic empowerment of the poor.
Muhith also put forward a proposal to allocate Tk 70 crore for skill development fund to be created for retention and expansion of labour market abroad, research for exploring new labour markets, training for the prospective workers and retraining for the expatriate workers who returned home losing their jobs.
The government has set a target of sending 6 lakh workers abroad in fiscal 2009-10.