The Bangladesh Government has decided to develop fifteen model villages across the country as part of a mega plan that aims to improve civic amenities in rural areas
Villages in Bangladesh are changing rapidly. This has been made feasible by many forms of physical and digital connectivity between rural and urban areas. Aside from improvements in physical infrastructure such as roads, highways, trains, and waterways, the growth centres of rural Bangladesh have been provided with various metropolitan facilities. Financial institutions and a slew of commercial firms have set up shop in rural areas.
The government has decided to develop 15 model villages across the country as a pilot project to implement the mega plan ‘My Village, My Town’ which aims to improve civic amenities in each village. A massive plan to create communities across the country with a variety of civic facilities and growth centres is in the works. According to the work plan produced by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, the “My Village My Town” project will cover improvements in road communication, telecommunication, including internet connectivity, health centres, sanitation, and waste management, among other aims. The decision was made during a meeting of the second inter-ministerial committee on project implementation, which was conducted in the conference room of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Co-operatives’ Local Government division (LGRD and Cooperatives). The government had previously announced a goal to transform all villages into townships with contemporary services and a development balance between towns and villages. An initial expenditure of BDT 1.5 trillion has been estimated in the work plan to be implemented by this ministry alone.
The 15 model villages to be developed as a pilot study will be a starting step towards putting this mammoth plan into action. The pilot program’s experience is likely to aid the growth of modern civic amenities in other towns around the country. Eight of the 15 model villages will be located in each of the country’s 8 divisions. The remaining 7 will be located in the haor, coastal, hilly, char, barind, and beel regions, as well as one in an economic zone. Because it is extremely difficult to carry out development activities in these locations, the establishment of model villages will greatly facilitate the implementation of the rural development master plan. Apart from economic activities, social and cultural aspects will also be prioritised when building the model villages. All facilities, including village communication and market infrastructure, modern health services, quality education, safe drinking water, information technology facilities and high-speed internet, improved sewerage and waste management, community space and recreation, banking, rural resources, power and energy supply, and modernisation and mechanisation of agriculture, will be provided in the model villages, according to the government’s announcement. One hundred and sixteen projects have already been suggested by various government ministries and departments to implement the government’s objective to spread contemporary metropolitan infrastructure to every village. In addition, a survey done by the local government ministry will be used to guide the development of a number of new initiatives. Once the surveys are completed, a final evaluation can be made.
According to the work plan produced by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, the “My Village My Town” project will cover improvements in road communication, telecommunication, including internet connectivity, health centres, sanitation, and waste management, among other aims.
To expand municipal utilities to villages, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is conducting 36 feasibility studies at a cost of BDT 28 crore. The surveys should be finished by January of next year. The government has included 237 active initiatives from several ministries and agencies in this plan because they are aligned with the purpose of ‘My Village, My Town’.
The government hopes that if urban amenities are provided to rural regions and rural youth and agro-entrepreneurs are trained, as promised in the ruling party’s election manifesto, productive employment opportunities will be generated. Furthermore, light industry prospects are predicted to improve, making rural people less likely to migrate to urban areas. The model communities will be built with the help of all relevant government ministries and divisions. The LGED, which is part of the Local Government Division, will be in charge of establishing the model communities. An inter-ministerial group, chaired by Tajul Islam, the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, will finalise the list of model communities this month, according to LGED officials. Several organisations, including the LGED, the Public Health Engineering Department, the Cooperatives Department, and the Ministry of Agriculture, will begin work on implementing the pilot project shortly after that. Many of these organisations have already begun planning in this area, according to them.
One hundred and sixteen projects have already been suggested by various government ministries and departments to implement the government’s objective to spread contemporary metropolitan infrastructure to every village.
When asked about the ‘My Village, My Town’ project, Minister Tajul Islam indicated that several ministries and departments are working on it, and that new ideas are being proposed through surveys. “Every two months, the inter-ministerial group meets to explore new projects and ideas,” he said, adding that work is underway to produce a master plan for the execution of the ‘My Village, My Town’ project. He went on to say that the authorities have directed all responsible ministries and departments to develop a realistic action plan based on the Awami League’s election program, in order to carry out the ‘My Village, My Town’ plan successfully. Local government officials said that the country’s population could reach 22 crores in 2041. According to them, agricultural land in the country is diminishing at a pace of 0.5% to 1% each year, with a substantial portion of it being converted to residential use. If this trend continues, food security could be jeopardised, and rural biodiversity may be lost.
They went on to say that plans will be made to establish a compact township with multi-story buildings to ensure all civic amenities such as road connectivity and electricity in inhabited villages, which will considerably lower the cost of infrastructure construction and maintenance. “Villages will be easily flood-free,” they further added. “Education and health services might be easily provided if such model villages had schools and hospitals. Agricultural land will be protected, and the country will remain habitable in the long run.”
According to officials, plans have been made to investigate the possibility of rural or small dwellings. Besides, an action plan has been adopted to devise development plans for all upazilas by 2030. According to experts, the government’s model village project will assist villagers in obtaining city-like amenities which will also reduce strain on cities.
Numerous government departments are conducting research in preparation for the ‘My Village, My Town’ program’s implementation. The LGED, the Department of Agricultural Extension, the Rural Electrification Bogra and the Rural Development Academy (RDA) Bogura are among the organisations currently working on this.