State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said efforts will have to continue for creating entrepreneurs in rural areas. If we can keep the rural people involved in economic activities, balanced development will be ensured. The 'My Village-My City' programme will be implemented soon.
He made the remarks while virtually giving business materials to lifeline consumers of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) as the chief guest on Saturday.
The BREB arranged the programme to provide business equipment worth Tk. 4.23 crore to 385 lifeline consumers under a project implemented by the government and funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Welcoming, the initiative to make lifeline consumers to entrepreneurs, Nasrul Hamid said, “Small entrepreneurs need to be encouraged in poverty alleviation. Apart from the project, it should also be done under corporate social responsibility. Post-training monitoring must be continued on how the trainees are using the training or why they are failing or teaching others.”
The state minister also thanked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for financing the project "Electricity for Rural Livelihood Improvement" project.
He said that the ADB could provide finance for electricity from waste, recycling plant, smart prepayment meter, smart grid, electric vehicle, lithium battery factory installation, underground distribution lines, automation in power and energy sectors, etc.
“The ADB can also cooperate with technical or consulting services to the power and energy sector,” he said.
Nasrul said the government has undertaken the project aimed at improving social and economic status of rural people by creating rural entrepreneurships.
It will provide technical skill development training to lifeline consumers for creating employment opportunities as part of women empowerment, he said.
Some 2,100 marginal customers are getting practical training for 28 days on 10 trades, he added.
BREB Chairman Major General (retd) Moin Uddin presided over the programme, while power secretary Md Habibur Rahman and Country Director of ADB Manmohan Parkash spoke virtually.
Under the project, 2,700 people have been trained, out of which 2,100 are backward marginal consumers in five districts. The remaining 600 are officers /employees of Palli Bidyut Shamitee (PBS).
