Improving living, livelihood condition of the poor
3 projects involving Tk 6.83cr being implemented
BSS, Rajshahi
Bangladesh Silk Development Board (BSDB) has been implementing three projects involving around Taka 96.83 crore aimed at improving living and livelihood condition of the targeted grassroots people particularly the poor and distressed women through substantial and sustainable development of the traditional silk sector. Headquartered in Rajshahi, the BSDB is implementing the projects in almost throughout the country particularly the potential ones for the silk farming and rearing with the main thrust of achieving the sustainable development goals in light of the Governments Seventh Five Year Plan. BSDB Director General Abdul Hakim said the projects will sure
supplementing the government efforts of building social safety net side by side with transforming the villages into towns in phases upon successful implementation of those by 2023.
Main objective of the five-year project titled Sericulture Extension and Development is to generate employment of around 50,000 hardcore poor and landless women for elevating their socio-economic condition through involving them in sericulture.
Another five-year project styled Poverty Reduction in Hilly Chattogram Districts through Extension and Development of Sericulture is being implemented in the hilly districts with the main thrusts of freeing around 15,000 extreme poor and landless women from poverty through their engagement in silk-related income generation activities.
Another 15,000 poor and distressed women will get scopes of improving their living and livelihood condition through intervention of another five-year project titled Poverty Reduction in Greater Rangpur districts through Extension of Sericulture.
Hakim said 620-bigha mulberry grounds will be developed and maintained side by side with production and distribution of 23.5 lakh silk-eggs and 23 lakh mulberry saplings among the farmers through implementation of the projects. We are going to establish 37 ideal silk villages and 500 mulberry
blocks, he said adding that 43,000-kilogram silk-cocoons will be purchased from the growers. More than 4,800 farmers will be given input supports of silk-rearing and 6,300 others get necessary assistance of mulberry transplantation.
Under the schemes, 7,700 farmers will be given training on mulberry plants rearing, silkworm nursing and yarn reeling. Six chawki rearing-cum-display centres and one silk reeling weaving training centre will be built.
