Photo: BSS

By Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, June 25, 2026 (BSS) – Yamin Aslam Sani, a poor student from Haragram Union, said, “My family struggles a lot to bear my educational expenses. Today’s assistance has given me new courage to continue my studies. I want to study well and bring smiles to my family’s faces.”

Another beneficiary, Kado Bewa from Nowhata municipal area, said, “During the rainy season, water used to leak through the roof, and we lived in great hardship. Now that I have received tin sheets and financial assistance, I feel I can finally build a proper roof over my head. This assistance is a huge blessing for helpless people like me.”

Expressing gratitude to the government for providing humanitarian assistance, the beneficiaries said the aid would help them improve their living standards.

The Paba upazila administration distributed humanitarian assistance among persons with disabilities, people under the beggar rehabilitation programme, destitute families, and poor students from morning to afternoon today on the Upazila Parishad premises.

Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam attended the event as the chief guest, while Paba Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Ibnul Abedin chaired it.

From early morning, beneficiaries from different unions of the upazila started arriving at the venue.

Some came to receive wheelchairs for mobility support, some hoped to get tin sheets and cash assistance for repairing their houses, while others came with dreams of starting a new livelihood after leaving begging.

After receiving the aid, many beneficiaries had tears of joy in their eyes and smiles of relief on their faces.

At the event, wheelchairs were distributed among eight persons with disabilities from different unions of Paba Upazila. Under the beggar rehabilitation assistance programme, 25 people received support for rehabilitation.

Besides, financial grants amounting to Tk 78,000 were distributed among 42 destitute people and 10 poor students.

At the same time, on the initiative of the Upazila Project Implementation Officer’s office, 10 beneficiaries received two bundles of corrugated tin sheets each along with Tk 6,000 in cash.

Jomela from Nowhata municipal area, who received beggar rehabilitation assistance, said, “I do not want to beg anymore. Receiving a goat, cash, and goat-rearing supplies has given me hope for a new life. I will try to become self-reliant by raising this goat.”

Under the beggar rehabilitation assistance programme, beneficiaries were given one goat each along with cash and goat-rearing supplies.

The supplies included medicine, multivitamin powder, a plastic bowl, a shovel, a broom, 15 square feet of tarpaulin, and one kilogramme of bran.

Organisers said the assistance was not only immediate relief but also an initiative to make beneficiaries self-reliant.

Speaking as the chief guest, Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam said the government always stands by helpless, destitute, disabled, and marginalised communities.

“The main objective of humanitarian assistance is not only to provide grants but also to make beneficiaries self-reliant and guide them towards a dignified life. Those who received wheelchairs, tin sheets, cash, and rehabilitation assistance today should utilise the support properly,” he said.

The Deputy Commissioner added that through the beggar rehabilitation programme, it is possible to bring people back from begging and engage them in productive activities. He said if the administration, public representatives, and conscious members of society work together, the living standards of helpless people in Paba Upazila will improve further.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Ibnul Abedin said the administration is working sincerely to improve the living standards of helpless, destitute, disabled, and marginalised people in Paba Upazila.

“Today’s assistance is not just a temporary grant, but a humanitarian initiative to help beneficiaries become self-reliant. The upazila administration will ensure that government aid reaches genuine beneficiaries and that they can utilise it properly,” he added.

Among others, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Mohammad Mehedi Hasan, Upazila BNP Member Secretary Professor Abdur Razzak, Joint Convener Sultan Ahmed, Social Services Officer Mohammad Hossain Khan, Project Implementation Officer Mahmudul Islam, and officials and employees of different departments of the upazila administration were present at the event.