Editorial
Safety net missing out on most of the poor
The gaps should be filled in for the sake of poverty alleviation
A World Bank survey shows that poverty alleviation, the focal point of MDGs, has not taken place on the basis of a need-based plan, as less than one-fourth of the poor in the bottom rung have so far got the benefits of the government's safety net. The point will be made clear by the fact that Rajshahi Division, where the number of the poor is higher than any other region, got the lowest coverage of the safety net compared to other divisions where poverty rate is lower.
The WB findings bring forth not only inconsistencies in the poverty alleviation programmes but also the truth that the decision makers showed a marked bias towards certain areas, which is a clear violation of the principle of dealing evenhandedly with the poor people all over the country. The point becomes all the more relevant in light of what the monga-stricken people experience regularly in some places in the northern region. Clearly, the governments in the past could not find a solution to the problem, and recurrence of the near-famine situation every year in those small pockets was attributed to the immediate past government's lack of will and efficiency to handle the issue properly.
There is of course no doubt that the poorest areas should have topped the priority ladder. It is not known why exactly the opposite happened while extending the safety net coverage to the people. The decision makers should have been aware of the plain truth that the western part of the country is lagging behind the eastern part in both development and poverty alleviation. It has been a rather inexplicable lapse on their part.
The WB report has also provided some other statistics that the planners should take note of to counter economic ills like unemployment. If we have to create 2.2 million new jobs each year, as the report suggests, a lot more emphasis has to be laid on industrialization and job creation in all other sectors.
Finally, due importance has been attached in the report to creation of education and healthcare facilities as part of empowering the poor. Here also the less privileged people have to get preferential treatment which will uphold the principle of justice and fair play.
The report has, at least, made it clear that only creation of the safety net will not serve the government's purpose, its coverage has to be symmetrical and consistent with our social and economic realities.
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