Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina is set to declare 26 more districts in the country free from landlessness and homelessness on Tuesday(11 June), marking a significant milestone in the nation’s commitment to social welfare and poverty alleviation.

“In the fifth phase of the Ashrayan Project-2, on 11 June, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the distribution of houses along with land to 18,566 landless and homeless families across the country,” PM’s Assistant Press Secretary ABM Sarwer-E-Alom Sarker told the Daily Sun.

This initiative will bring the total number of districts declared landless- and homeless-free to 58 out of 64 districts. The new 26 districts include Dhaka, Gopalgonj, Shariatpur, Faridpur, Netrokona, Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Noakhali, Cumilla, Feni, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Sirajganj, Bogura, Satkhira, Jashore, Khulna, Narail, Bagerhat, Barguna, Barishal, Habiganj, and Sunamganj.

“To meet her commitment mentioned in the election manifesto, Sheikh Hasina will hand over the houses with land ownership documents and keys to the beneficiary families through video conferencing from her official residence, Ganabhaban. She will be connected with three upazilas: Kaliganj in Lalmonirhat, Char Fasson in Bhola, and Cox’s Bazar Sadar,” he added.

During a visit to the Mohishamuri Ashrayan Project under Kaliganj in Lalmonirhat on Sunday, Sarwer-E-Alom Sarker revealed that 1,282 homeless and landless families will receive new houses in the district. Of these, 875 houses will be distributed in Kaliganj upazila, 99 in Patgram upazila, 166 in Hatibandha upazila, and 142 in Aditmari upazila.

According to project details, each family will receive a semi-pucca house with two decimals of land. Each house comprises two bedrooms, one kitchen, one toilet, common space, and a veranda. The land deeds will be jointly held by both husband and wife, thereby promoting women’s empowerment.

Since its inception in 1997, the Ashrayan project has rehabilitated 582,083 families up to June 2024. This includes 1,59,848 families through barrack houses, 1,53,853 families through building houses on land owned by beneficiaries, 640 climate victim families through free flats in multi-storied buildings in Khurushkul union in Cox’s Bazar, 600 families through specially designed houses for small ethnic communities, 100 families affected by river erosion, 1,000 families affected by cyclone Amphan, and 266,012 families during the celebration of Mujib Borsho.

The Ashrayan project focuses on six key features which are economic self-reliance through increased earning potentials and savings, restoration of dignified livelihoods and social status, empowering women through joint ownership of land and houses, human resource development by enhancing skills and competencies through training, extensive afforestation and tree plantation to improve environmental quality, and ensuring city amenities in villages.

Rehabilitated families receive practical and technical training to engage in various productive and income-generating activities. The project also facilitates community centres, prayer houses, graveyards, ponds, and internal communication roads. Additionally, various types of fruit, forest, and medicinal trees are being planted in the project areas, and homeless people are being encouraged to participate in agricultural work, according to project officials.