Agency (Ministry/Division/Department):
Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Cooperatives
Background and Objective (when the programme started and in what context):
Bangladesh is an agriculture based country and the owning land or property is considered as a status symbol, social power enmeshed with honour and dignity. Yet, the number of landless people is increasing due to poverty, natural disasters, illegal occupation of land and fake ownership by corrupt elites. UNHCR argues that there are close to 4.5 million landless people in Bangladesh according to the BBS 2008. The landless groups are classed as poor and extreme poor. The government has attached tackling poverty as a topmost prority. A number of projects have been launched. The GoB and Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed this project Rural Livelihood Project (RLP) which is a major poverty alleviation project. The project organizes Bittaheen men and women into cooperatives, provide training and credit to open up employment cum income generation avenues towards their socio-economic upliftment.  Objectives of the project are:
1) To organize rural poor men and women into cooperatives groups
2) To impart skill and management training to equip the poor to undertake income generating activities and manage their lives
3) To provide micro credit to enable the poor, especially women to undertake income generating activities and generate their self employment opportunities
4) To support the UBCCA to be self sustainable.
Local Implementation: (who implements the programme at the local level):
a. Sponsoring Ministry/Division is the Rural Development & Cooperative Division, Ministry of Local Govt., Rural Development & Cooperatives and the executing Agency is the Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB).
Budget in BDT million (FY 2015-2016):
BDT 3.0 crore
Coverage (Geographic) & Beneficiary Number (male/female) (Latest record, indicate year):
In 13 zillas and 82 upazillas, of Rajshahi, Pabna, Kushtia and Jessore
Benefit (what is delivered—cash, kind, employment) & outline frequency (at what interval the benefit is delivered, i.e. monthly, quarterly etc):
Micro credit