‘Improve livelihoods of Koyra’s vulnerable communities’
Khulna Deputy Commissioner Hure Jannat has called for targeted initiatives to improve the livelihoods of the Munda and Malo communities, as well as the “tiger widows” of Koyra upazila, through skills development and income-generating opportunities.
She made the remarks while chairing the July meeting of the Khulna District Development Coordination Committee at the Deputy Commissioner’s conference room on Sunday.
The Deputy Commissioner directed all implementing agencies to complete ongoing development projects within the stipulated timeframe and instructed government offices to regularly update their respective web portals.
She also urged the authorities concerned to expedite the completion and handover of the under-construction model mosques across the district.
Expressing concern over the recent rise in hospital fire incidents, Hure Jannat instructed the relevant authorities to strengthen fire safety measures and ensure that hospitals and their surrounding areas remain smoke-free.
Highlighting the socio-economic vulnerability of the Munda, Malo and tiger widow communities in Koyra, she said they could become self-reliant through vocational training and income-generating programmes implemented by the Department of Youth Development and the Department of Women’s Affairs.
During the meeting, Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr. Md. Shaukat Ali said that, as of 15 July, a total of 1,200 suspected measles patients had been admitted to hospitals, of whom 44 tested positive. Currently, 42 patients with measles symptoms are undergoing treatment, while the death toll from the disease has reached 13.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Md. Nazrul Islam, said Farmer Cards would be introduced in Khulna district. Of the district’s 326,561 farming households, 15,669 families from nine agricultural blocks across the district’s nine upazilas will receive the cards in the initial phase.
District Fisheries Officer Md. Badiuzzaman said 720 kilograms of chemically treated export-quality shrimp were destroyed during 13 anti-pushing drives last month, while Tk 23,000 in fines was realised.
He added that, under the Fish Conservation Act, seven enforcement drives and four mobile court operations resulted in the seizure and destruction of 78,500 metres of illegal current nets, two behundi nets, one Chinese door net and three illegal net barriers. Authorities also released 105,000 fish fry into natural water bodies and collected Tk 3,000 in fines.
District Livestock Officer Dr. Md. Shariful Islam said the department earned Tk 1.9 million in revenue during the month from vaccine sales, farm registration fees and artificial insemination services. Total revenue collection in the 2025-26 fiscal year has reached Tk 10.67 million.
Assistant Director of the National Directorate of Consumer Rights Protection in Khulna, Md. Walid Bin Habib, said the department monitored 12 markets during the past month, penalised 20 business establishments, and collected Tk 194,000 in fines.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Bitan Kumar Mondal, upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs), officials from various government departments, and members of the coordination committee were present at the meeting.
