Planning Minister MA Mannan said the poverty rate in Bangladesh has come down to 20.5 per cent in the fiscal 2018-19, the figure was 21.8 at the end of 2017-18 fiscal year.
Minister told this while briefing the newsmen after the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting at the NEC conference room in the city on Tuesday.
"Extreme poverty rate also dropped to 10.5 per cent in 2018-19, which was 11.3 per cent in 2017-18," the planning minister said quoting the data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) that was presented at the meeting.
Mannan mentioned that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her satisfaction for the success in reducing poverty. "She (the prime minister) thanked farmers, labourers and all people in general for their contribution in eradicating poverty," the planning minister added.
A total of nine projects were approved involving Tk 3226.75 crore. All funds will come from the government exchequer. Of them, five are fresh ones and four are revised ones. The planning minister said, Bangladesh Navy will implement the Ashrayan project at Bhasan Char of Char Ishwar union in Noakhali's Hatiya where Rohingyas will be accommodated. The Ashrayan-3 (for construction of houses for forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Bhasanchar of Hatiya upazila under Noakhali and necessary security infrastructures for the island) (1st revised) project with the additional cost of Tk 782.80 crore, he added.
