Amar Gram Amar Shahar
Amar Gram Amar Shahar
Amar Gram Amar Shahar
Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................1
2. Objectives...............................................................................................................................2
2.A General objective of the study.........................................................................................2
2.B Specific objectives of the study.......................................................................................2
3. Discussion with the villagers and formation of volunteer group for village development....3
3.A Focus Group Discussion..................................................................................................3
3.B Key Informant Interviews................................................................................................3
3.C Formation of volunteer group..........................................................................................3
4. SWOT analysis of the village................................................................................................4
5. Gap identification for achieving modern civic facilities........................................................8
6. Activities done for achieving the desired situation..............................................................10
7. Recommendations................................................................................................................11
7.A Short term action plan....................................................................................................11
7.B Long term action plan....................................................................................................12
8. Conclusion............................................................................................................................14
Annex 1: Baseline Data............................................................................................................15
Annex 2: List of Persons Met...................................................................................................17
Annex 3: Survey Questionnaire...............................................................................................18
Annex 4: Application submitted to Upazila Education officer (Primary)...............................20
Annex 5: Application submitted to Upazila Health & Family Planning Officer.....................21
My Village, My Town
1. Introduction
Pitalganj, a village in Rupganj Upazila in Narayanganj District on the Bank of Sitalakhya
River, is located at 23°49'42.78" N and 90°32'29.77" E 1. The village is 19 km North-East2 of
Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. It has 1027 households3, and the total area is 2.32 km². As per
the Population and Housing Census 2011, Pitalganj has a population of 5103 - male 2579
(50.5%), and female 2542 (49.5%). People of two religion live in the village – Muslim 4322
(84.7%), and Hindu 781 (15.3%). Pitalganj has a national average literacy rate of 45.2% (7+
years) – literacy rate among male is 46.8%, and female is 43.7%.
Religious institutions in Pitalganj include 8 Mosques, 1 Temple. Among the educational
institutions, there are 1 Primary School, 1 High School, 1 Madrasa, and 1 College in the
village. There are 1 Library, 1 Cinema Hall, 1 Women Organization and 3 Playgrounds.
There is no community clinic in Pitalganj.
Pitalganj is renowned for vegetable farming and fishing. As the economic value of land in the
village is increasing due to its vicinity to the Purbachal Housing Project, more and more land,
previously used for agricultural activities, are being bought or occupied by the Housing
Enterprises. As such, agricultural activities are declining gradually. The number of fishermen
is also declining because of water pollution by the effluents of Industries on the bank of
Sitalakhya River. A large number of the male population of the village work as expatriate
workers in the Middle East, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Cottage industries in Pitalganj include Goldsmith, blacksmith, woodwork, etc. There is one
permanent hut in Pitalganj.
Access to safe drinking water and sanitation cover of the village is satisfactory –
approximately 97.2% and 97.3% respectively. Coverage of electricity stands at 91.7% as per
the Population and Housing census-2011 Community Report: Narayanganj.
A number of NGOs are operating in Pitalganj, e.g., BRAC, CARITAS, ASA, CARE, and
PIDIM. The activities of these NGOs include - micro lending, promotion of solar energy,
biogas plant, etc.
1
http://bd.geoview.info/pitalganj,1191051
2
http://trip-suggest.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-general/pitalganj/
3
Population and Housing census-2011 Community Report: Narayanganj
1
My Village, My Town
2. Objectives
Bangladesh is a country of villages. However, the original nature of the village is changing
with the modernization of the people’s lifestyle. The ruling party, being a political party
rooted in the village, has always considered villages as their central philosophy for
development and prosperity. In the independent country, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman incorporated a promise in Article 16 of the Constitution that the
state shall adopt effective measures to bring about a radical transformation in the rural areas
through promotion of an agricultural revolution, provision of rural electrification,
development of cottage and other industries, improvement in education, communications and
public health, so as progressively to remove the disparities in the living standards between
urban and rural areas. The present government has undertaken ‘My Village, My Town,’
project to materialize the commitment of Bangabandhu to make “Sonar Bangla” through the
transformation of every village to town. “My Village, My Town” is originally an agenda
under election manifesto of the incumbent government. The agenda is emanated from the
constitutional provision of Article 16. With that in consideration, the study focuses on
identifying the gaps that exist in the public service delivery in rural areas and propose a short
term and a long term action plan to overcome the gaps.
The General Objective and Specific Objectives are outlined in section 2.A and 2.B
respectively.
2.A General objective of the study
To establish modern civic facilities in my village by 2023 as part of the implementation of the
electoral manifesto of the government in power.
2.B Specific objectives of the study
To identify existing gaps in education and provide time-bound action plans to address
the gaps and ensure education for all, and enhance equal opportunity.
To identify existing gaps in access to sanitation and safe water, provide time-bound
action plans to address the gaps, and ensure access to sanitation and safe drinking
water for all.
To identify existing gaps in primary healthcare provision, provide time-bound action
plans to address the gaps, and ensure access to primary healthcare for all.
To identify existing gaps in electricity supply and coverage, provide time-bound
action plans to address the gaps, and ensure electricity for all.
To identify existing gaps in ICT infrastructure and access to the internet, and ensure
high-speed internet for all.
To identify existing gaps in communication infrastructure, provide time-bound action
plans to address the gaps, and ensure resilient road network for the village.
To identify existing gaps in fire safety services, provide time-bound action plans to
address the gaps, and ensure coverage of fire safety services for the village.
To identify existing gaps in agricultural production, provide time-bound action plans,
to address the gaps, and ensure a sustainable agricultural production practice for the
village.
My Village, My Town
I provided the volunteer group 50 survey questionnaires to collect responses from 10 adult
male, 10 adult female, 5 teachers, 10 students, 5 farmers, 5 businessmen, and 5 service
holders. The volunteer group was highly proactive and handed the survey responses over to
me the next day. The Survey Questionnaire is outlined in Annex 3.
My Village, My Town
4
Bangladesh Economic Review - 2018
My Village, My Town
Strengths Weaknesses
Location Education Awareness
Good Road Communication Enrollment Rate at Primary Education
Security Literacy Rate
Low Disaster Risk Absence of Solid Waste Management Service
Religious Harmony Absence of Sewer and Drainage System
Conflict over Land Ownership
Absence of Healthcare Infrastructure
Opportunities Threats
Economic and Business Potential Pollution of Sitalakhya River
Planned Use of Land and Urbanization Impact on the Livelihood of Fishermen
Potential to Improve PHS Delivery Threat to Cottage Industry
Potential to Improve Quality of Education Menace of Land-grabbers
Potential for Vegetable Farming and Supply Groundwater Decline and Depletion
Labor Influx
My Village, My Town
5
Data collected through field survey
My Village, My Town
6
Data collected through FGD
My Village, My Town
My Village, My Town
7. Recommendations
7.A Short term action plan
Based on the discussion with the villagers, baseline data, and the survey responses, I
identified the following prioritized activities for the short term (2 years) development plan.
1. 100% Primary School Enrollment;
2. Bring the Dropout Rate down from 15% to below 7%;
3. Improve the Quality of Education in all parameters;
4. Improve access to safe drinking water;
5. Improve sanitation system;
6. Promotion of the use of Solar Energy;
7. Rehabilitation Program for Fishermen;
8. Installation of Streetlight along the paved Union and Village Roads;
9. Establish a Community Clinic.
8. Conclusion
During the field attachment from 29 May to 3 June, 2019, it was found that there are great
potentials to improve public service deliveries in Pitalganj despite the service delivery gaps
that exist due to the resource constraints of the concerned government agencies. It is possible
to utilize the potentials of the village and address the challenges in the most effective manner
through proper planning, efficient resource allocation, and timely actions. Significant gaps
were identified in the education sector in the form of primary school enrollment rate below
the national average, literacy rate below the national average and dropout rate higher than the
national average; WASH facilities; primary healthcare provisioning; and road
communication. A short term (2019-2020) and a long term (2019-2023) action plan outlining
required actions, responsible agencies, timeframe and critical resources required for
implementation of the action plans is prepared and provided with the report to address the
public service delivery gaps and make urban facilities available in my village. The proposed
action plans will ensure access of the inhabitants of Pitalganj to education, improved
sanitation and safe drinking water supply, strengthened primary healthcare provision,
electricity, high-speed internet, improved road communication, and safety and security
services.
My Village, My Town
আপনার দৃষ্টিতে পিতলগঞ্জ গ্রাম হিসেবে যেসব ক্ষেত্রে আরও উন্নত হতে পারেঃ
বরাবর
বিষয়ঃ রুপগঞ্জ ইউনিয়নের অন্তর্গত পিতলগঞ্জ সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষার গুণগত
মান নিশ্চিতকরণে ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া প্রসঙ্গে।
জনাব,
আপনার দৃষ্টি আকর্ষণ করছি যে, রুপগঞ্জ উপজেলার রুপগঞ্জ ইউনিয়নের অন্তর্গত
পিতলগঞ্জ সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় স্থানীয় শিক্ষার্থীদের জন্য একটি অতীব প্রয়োজনীয়
প্রতিষ্ঠান। "সবার জন্য প্রাথমিক শিক্ষা" এ লক্ষ্য পূরণে স্কু লের অবদান অনস্বীকার্য। কিন্তু
অত্যন্ত দুঃখের সাথে জানতে পেরেছি যে, গ্রামের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ এ শিক্ষা প্রতিষ্ঠানে ডিজিটাল
ক্লাশরুম এবং মাল্টিমিডিয়া লার্নিং এর ব্যাবস্থা নেই। ফলে শিক্ষার্থীরা বিজ্ঞানভিত্তিক ও
কারিগরি শিক্ষার ক্ষেত্রে পিছিয়ে পরছে। পিতলগঞ্জ গ্রামবাসীর এবং আমার দৃঢ় বিশ্বাস,
আপনার সুদৃষ্টি, তত্ত্বাবধান এবং হস্তক্ষেপে ডিজিটাল ক্লাশরুম এবং মাল্টিমিডিয়া লার্নিং এর
প্রতিষ্ঠা করে শিক্ষার্থীদের জন্য বিজ্ঞানভিত্তিক ও কারিগরি শিক্ষার ব্যাবস্থা করা সম্ভব।
অতএব, উপরিউক্ত বিষয়াদি পর্যালোচনা করে আশু ব্যবস্থা নেওয়ার জন্য গ্রামবাসীর পক্ষ
থেকে জনাবের নিকট আবেদন করছি।
নিবেদক
"আমার গ্রাম আমার শহর" ভিলেজ এটাচমেন্ট প্রোগ্রামে পিতলগঞ্জ গ্রামে সংযুক্ত।
তারিখঃ ০৩-০৬-২০১৯
My Village, My Town
বরাবর
বিষয়ঃ রুপগঞ্জ ইউনিয়নের অন্তর্গত পিতলগঞ্জ গ্রামে কমিউনিটি ক্লিনিক প্রতিষ্ঠার জন্য ব্যবস্থা
নেওয়া প্রসঙ্গে।
জনাব,
আপনার দৃষ্টি আকর্ষণ করছি যে, রুপগঞ্জ উপজেলার রুপগঞ্জ ইউনিয়নের অন্তর্গত
পিতলগঞ্জ গ্রামে এক হাজারেরও বেশি পরিবার এবং পাঁচ হাজারের বেশি মানুষের বসবাস।
কিন্তু অত্যন্ত দুঃখের সাথে জানতে পেরেছি যে, গ্রামে প্রয়োজনীয় স্বাস্থ্য সেবা প্রদানের জন্য
কোন কমিউনিটি ক্লিনিক নেই। গ্রামের নিকটবর্তী উপজেলা স্বাস্থ্য কমপ্লেক্স ৬ কিলোমিটার দূরে
শীতলক্ষা নদীর অপর পাড়ে অবস্থিত। শীতলক্ষা নদীর উপর সেতু না থাকায় স্বাস্থ্য সেবা
পাওয়ার জন্য পিতলগঞ্জ গ্রামবাসীকে নৌকা বা ফেরীযোগে নদী পারাপার হতে হয়। বিদ্যমান
পরিস্থিতিতে গ্রামে স্বাস্থ্যসেবার অবস্থা অতীব নাজুক এবং গ্রামবাসীর স্বাস্থ্যসেবা প্রাপ্তির জন্য
কমিউনিটি ক্লিনিক ও রেফারেল ব্যাবস্থা প্রতিষ্ঠা অত্যন্ত প্রয়োজনীয়। পিতলগঞ্জ গ্রামবাসীর
এবং আমার দৃঢ় বিশ্বাস, আপনার সুদৃষ্টি, তত্ত্বাবধান এবং হস্তক্ষেপে কমিউনিটি ক্লিনিক ও
রেফারেল ব্যাবস্থা প্রতিষ্ঠা করা সম্ভব।
অতএব, উপরিউক্ত বিষয়াদি পর্যালোচনা করে আশু ব্যবস্থা নেওয়ার জন্য গ্রামবাসীর পক্ষ
থেকে জনাবের নিকট আবেদন করছি।
নিবেদক
My Village, My Town
"আমার গ্রাম আমার শহর" ভিলেজ এটাচমেন্ট প্রোগ্রামে পিতলগঞ্জ গ্রামে সংযুক্ত।
তারিখঃ ০৩-০৬-২০১৯