The Social Assistance Programme for Non-Assetor (SAPNA) package can play a vital role in women empowerment and poverty alleviation in developing and poor countries across the world, said Prof Dr Sankar Kumar Sanyal, President of Harijan Sevak Sangh of India.

“Such an initiative undoubtedly is part of Bangladesh government’s good plan to empower women and alleviate poverty. I admire the government for implementing such a great measures,” he said.

He also praised AHM Nouman, founder of Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP) for his innovation of the SAPNA package.

Chatkhil upazila women affairs officer Kamrun Nahar said 84 pregnant women in seven Union Parishad area of the upazila were the beneficiaries of the SAPNA package. “It was a good package for rural poor pregnant mother,” she added.

Former Indian MP Raju Bhai Parmar, member of National Commission for Scheduled Castes of India, Laxmi Daas, vice president of Harijan Sevak Sangh, former MP of India Naresh Yadav, Kunwar Shekhar Vijendra, Chancellor of Shobhit University of India and Jayesh Bhai Patel, member of executive committee of Harijan Sevak Sangh also spoke at the discussion among others.

SAPNA mothers Sabina Yeasmin, Sajeda Begum and Rahima Begum also spoke about their benefits for the package and urged the Bangladesh government to restart the package for more mothers across the country to reduce poverty.

An Indian delegation-led by Dr Sankar Kumar Sanyal visited the houses of the SAPNA package beneficiaries and talked to them.