The "Rural Employment and Road Maintenance Program-3 (RERMP-3)" under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) began in July 2020 and officially ended on 30 June 2024. The project employed poor, widowed and husband-abandoned women from remote rural areas, who were assigned the task of maintaining paved roads by repairing damaged shoulders through soil filling.
Following the completion of the project, the absence of regular maintenance has led to rapid deterioration of paved roads. As a result, the government's expenditure on road repairs has increased significantly compared to previous years.
Under the programme, ten women were appointed in each union. In the 53 unions of Thakurgaon district, a total of 530 women were employed, while nationwide about 45,780 women were engaged in the same work. In addition, three officers and staff members were appointed at the office of the Executive Engineer in each district, bringing the nationwide total to 192 officers and staff.
The women were paid on a daily attendance basis. Their daily wage was BDT 250, of which BDT 170 was paid in cash and BDT 80 was deposited into their bank accounts as compulsory savings. They received the saved amount after the project ended on 30 June 2024.
Since the completion of the project in June 2024, both the officers and the women involved have lost their jobs and are now living in severe financial hardship.
Although proposals to continue the programme have been submitted repeatedly to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), they have not yet received approval. Even as various programmes highlighted women's rights and participation on March 8, International Women's Day, the follow-up project, "Rural Employment and Road Maintenance Program-4 (RERMP-4)," remains unapproved, leaving thousands of women without employment.
Stakeholders have urged the Honourable Adviser of the Local Government Division to take immediate steps to address the issue.
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