Disabled people’s participation in VGD programme stressed

Participants at an interface meeting on Thursday stressed ensuring the participation of disabled people in the process of selecting Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme beneficiaries at grassroots levels.

They viewed this at the interface meeting on ‘VGD affairs community scorecard’ organised by Rangdhanu District Protibondhi Adhikar Sangstha (RDPAS), Rangpur at Lohanipara union parishad hall room in Badarganj upazila of the district.

Access Bangladesh Foundation and Commonwealth Foundation extended assistance in arranging the event aiming at promoting the rights of grassroots persons with disabilities through community-led initiatives.

Members and Secretary of Lohanipara union parishad, civil society members, disabled people, local journalists and the elite participated in the event.

The Chairman of Lohanipara union parishad Md Dolu Shah attended the meeting as the chief guest with the President of RDPAS Md Nur Alam in the chair.

General Secretary of RDPAS Md Hasanur Rahman (Helal) moderated the event.

Community Mobiliser of RDPAS Md Atiar Rahman delivered a welcome speech narrating the statistics and social status of the disabled population and a negligible number of VGD beneficiaries among them in Lohanipara union.

The speakers proposed involving representatives of the disabled population in the selection process of VGD beneficiaries to bring more women with disabilities under the government’s VGD programme for their inclusive development and empowerment.

The chief guest expressed his commitment to involve representatives of the physically challenged people in the process of selecting VGD beneficiaries and implementing more development activities for mainstreaming the disabled population.

“Initiatives will be taken to bring all disabled people of the union under the government’s massive social safety net programmes, including VGD,” he said.