Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said her government has been working to ensure all homeless people get houses with lands.

“Not a single person will remain homeless or landless in Bangladesh. We’ve been working to implement this goal,” she said.

The premier said this while providing 39,365 more houses with two-decimal lands in the 4th phase under Ashrayan-2 project to landless and homeless families.

On her behalf, public representatives –ministers, MPs  and Upazila chairman-- as well as government officials –Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Upaizla Nirbahi Officers-- who were present at different project sites handed over the house certificates and land documents to the beneficiaries of 493 upazilas across the country.

With the distribution of the houses under the 4th phase of Ashrayan-2 project, nine districts and 211 upazilas have now no one without a home and land.

Earlier, Hasina provided 63,999 houses in the first phase, 53,330 ones in the second phase and 59,133 in the third phase under the Ashrayan-2, a project of the Prime Minister’s Office, since January 2021.

With the distribution of 39,365 houses in the 4th phase, the total number has stood at 215, 827 under the Ashrayan-2 Project.

The premier also declared seven more districts and 159 more upazilas as homeless and landless-free areas.  Seven districts are Madaripur, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Joypurhat, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Chuadanga.

Earlier, she declared Panchagarh and Magura as homeless-landless free districts and 52 upazilas as homeless-landless free upazilas.

Talking about the achievement, PM Hasina said if any family of these areas becomes homeless and landless due to natural disaster or other factors, the family will be given houses along with land.

She asked all to find out the landless families throughout the country or any family becoming homeless due to natural disasters or any other reason in the areas which were already declared homeless-free. The government will provide them with abodes, she added.

In the function, she exchanged views with the beneficiaries of Nayapara Ashrayan project at Sreepur upazila in Gazipur district and Uttarpar Ashrayan project under Banaripara in Barishal.

With the distribution of 39,365 houses, a total of 196,825 people have now got a shelter, getting semi-pucca houses on their own lands.

PM’s Principal Secretary M. Tofazzel Hossain Miah conducted the event.

The 159 upazilas that were declared homeless-free areas on Wednesday include eight upazilas in Netrokona district; six each in Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Cumilla, Rajshahi and Pirojpur; five each in Gazipur, Bogura and Kushtia; four each in Gopalganj, Madaripur, Kishoreganj, Sirajganj, Joypurhat, Chapainawabganj, Chuadanga, Patuakhali, Barishal and Sylhet;  three each in Dhaka, Rajbari, Tangail, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Chandpur, Dinajpur, Naogaon, Natore, Pabna, Satkhira, Jashore and Habiganj; two each in Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Chattogram, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Meherpur and Jhalakathi; and one each in Shariatpur, Cox’s Bazar, Gaibandha, Thakurgaon, Bhola, Barguna, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj.

The 52 upazilas, which were earlier declared homeless-free areas, are  five in Panchagarh district; four each in Mymensingh, Magura, Feni and Chattogram; three in Rajshahi; two each in Madaripur, Manikganj, Laxmipur and Bogura; and one upazila each in Dhaka, Kishoreganj,  Tangail, Rajbari, Faridpur, Netrokona, Jamalpur, Gaibandha, Dinajpur,Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, Naogaon, Joypurhat, Natore, Pabna, Chapainawabganj, Jhenaidah, Satkhira, Jhalakathi and Patuakhali.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced the rehabilitation programme for homeless people in 1972.

Following the footprints of Bangabandhu, her daughter PM Hasina took the initiative to provide ownership of houses and lands to homeless and landless people through the Ashrayan Project in 1997.

Since then, a total of 771,301 families have so far been rehabilitated. The number of rehabilitated people is 38,56,505 (estimated as five persons in a family).

Some 5,54,597 families were rehabilitated directly under the Ashrayan Project, while 2,16,704 families under different programmes of concerned government offices, including the Land Ministry and Disaster Management and Relief Ministry.