Govt push for women’s self-reliance
Women will receive market-oriented training, seed money and wider institutional support to help them become economically self-reliant, Women and Children Affairs and Social Welfare Minister Prof Dr A Z M Zahid Hossain said on Wednesday.
“To make women economically self-reliant, training will be provided in modern trades, taking into account market needs, going beyond traditional approaches,” he said.
Zahid Hossain made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a cheque distribution ceremony for grants for the fiscal year 2025-26 among registered voluntary women’s associations under the Department of Women Affairs at Bangladesh Shishu Academy.
Secretary of the Women and Children Affairs Ministry Dr Rowsan Ara Begum presided over the programme, according to an official handout.
The minister said government assistance would, in future, be provided to relevant associations and organisations based on assessments of their field-level performance and efficiency.
He stressed that training programmes should produce more than certificate holders, saying trainees needed to be developed into successful entrepreneurs.
To achieve this, the government would provide specialised training, seed money or initial capital and multifaceted institutional support, he said. Such support would help entrepreneurs market their products quickly and easily, he added.
Zahid also instructed district-level training centres to become fully operational immediately by equipping them with modern equipment and technology.
He stressed the need to preserve detailed information about all trainees in the MIS (Management Information System) after completion of their training.
The minister said modern care-giving training would be arranged at the district level to encourage greater participation of women in the rapidly expanding global “care economy”.
He also called for expediting recruitment against existing vacant posts under the Department of Women Affairs to ensure quick and uninterrupted public services.
Zahid said the government was issuing Family Cards based on equal rights and justice for citizens irrespective of religion, race, hill or plain areas and political ideology, in line with its election manifesto.
He simultaneously called for a strong social movement involving people from all walks of life to eliminate social menaces including violence against women and children, dowry and child marriage.
At the programme, cheques totalling Taka 8,15,02,600 were distributed as general grants among 3,180 associations in three categories for the fiscal year 2025-26.
In addition, Taka 35,00,000 was distributed as revolving grants among 70 associations in 40 districts.
Another Taka 23,94,300 was distributed as discretionary grants among 69 associations in 21 districts.
