‘Functionalising UP level committee is must to reach services to doorsteps’

Speakers at a workshop on significance and effectiveness of local level committees remarked that functionalising Union Parishad’s standing committees and local government structures are must to reach services to people’s doorsteps for inclusive and sustainable development.

Md Shohidul Islam, Director, Local Government, Khulna Division, was present as the chief guest at the daylong workshop, which was presided over by Mr Ashis Kumar Halder, Senior Operations Manager, Nobo Jatra Project (NJP) of World Vision Bangladesh (WVB) at CSS AVA Center in Khulna, said a press release.

The workshop shared findings of two qualitative studies on ‘Functionality of Local Level Government Committees to Improve Social Accountability and Sustain Service Delivery in the Community’ and ‘Impact Mapping Analysis through GIS Survey.’

Ranak C. Mohanta, Senior Manager-M&E and Mehzabin Rupa, Manager, Knowledge Management, Communications and Advocacy of Nobo Jatra Project and Prof. Dr. Ahsanul Kabir, Khulna University shared the findings of two research conducted by World Vision Bangladesh.

In his speech, Md. Shohidul Islam said ‘NJP is successful in activating standing committee in 4 sub-districts in Khulna and Satkhira.’

“Unless local government structure is strengthened, our dreams will never be fulfilled. There is no alternative of strengthening local government for sustainable development,” he added.

Attending the workshop, Mashrur Ferdous, Deputy Director, Local Government Division, Satkhira District, said “Union Parishads should find ways to raise funds. Some Union Parishad Chairmen think that if they collect tax, they will loos popularity. This is not correct.”

“Union Parishad chairmen should be engaged and sincere to activate the standing committees in local level,” she said. USAID’s Nobo Jatra Project (NJP) ‘new beginning’ has been implementing in close partnership with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), Winrock International and World Food Programme in 40 unions under 4 Sub-districts in Khulna and Satkhira districts.

Aiming to improve gender equitable food security, nutrition and resilience of vulnerable communities, NJP reached 859,704 people with multi-sectoral interventions in Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Maternal Child Health and Nutrition, gender, agriculture and alternative livelihoods, disaster risk reduction and good governance and social accountability.