DHAKA, June 9, 2024 (BSS) – A total of 1,282 homeless and landless families will get new houses as gift from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina under the fifth phase of the Ashrayan Project-2 in the district on June 11.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over the houses with land ownership documents and keys to the beneficiary families through a video conferencing from her official Ganabhaban residence on June 11, 2024, said ABM Sarwer-E-Alom Sarker, Assistant press secretary to the Prime Minister while visiting the Mohishamuri Ashrayan Project under Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat district today.

 Of 1,282 houses, 875 will be distributed in Kaliganj upazila, 99 in Patgram upazila, 166 in Hatibandha upazila and 142 in Aditmari upazila in the district. 

 Also on the same day, as part of the government’s target to ensure housing for the landless and homeless people, the premier will hand over 18,566 more new houses to landless and homeless families under the second step of the fifth phase of Ashrayan Project-2 across the country, Sarwer Sarker added.

 According to the project details he said, each family will get a semi-pucca house with two decimals of land and each of the house consists of two bedrooms, one kitchen, one toilet, common space and veranda, was built under the project.

 “Deeds of the land belong to both husband and wife, for which women empowerment might be strengthened,” the PMO Officer added.

On that day, by announcing a total of 70 upazilas landless and homeless free the Prime Minister will declare more 26 districts across the country as landless and homeless free districts. Since, already 32 districts have been declared landless and homeless free earlier, so on June 11 total 58 districts across the country will turn as landless and homeless free districts.

 To this end, the government rehabilitated 5,82,083 families under the Ashrayan project since 1997 to June 2024, of which 1,59848 families through barrack houses, 1,53,853 families through building houses on land owned by beneficiaries, 640 climate victims family through free flats in multi-storied buildings at Khurushkul union in Cox's Bazar, 600 families through specially designed houses for small ethnic communities, 100 families affected by river erosion, 1000 families affected by cyclone Amphan and 2,66,012 families during the celebration of Mujib year (Mujib Borsho), according to the project details.

 The Ashrayan project has six key features including economic self-reliance through increased earning potentials and savings, restoration of dignified livelihoods and social status, empowering women through joint ownership of land and house, human resources development by enhancing skills and competencies through training, extensive afforestation and tree plantation to improve environment quality and ensuring city amenities in villages.

 Rehabilitated family members are provided with practical and technical training to engage in various productive and income-generating activities.Community centres, prayer houses and graveyards, ponds and roads for internal communication are also being facilitated.

 Different types of fruits, forest and medicinal trees are being planted in the project area. Homeless people are also being encouraged to be involved in agricultural work.