Panchagarh and Magura were on Thursday officially declared as the country’s first two districts having no landless and homeless people in a landmark achievement under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s home-to-everyone Ashrayan project. The premier made the announcement while distributing of 26,229 houses among the landless families across the country joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban. “We are very much happy that all upazilas of the two districts are now fully free from landless and homeless people,” she said. “This success has been achieved due to our initiative.” Apart from these, 43 other upazilas of the country’s different districts also got the same status. “This is a big achievement. I hope that all districts and upazilas of Bangladesh will one day be free from landless and homeless people,” Hasina said. “Every person in the country will have a house and an address.” In northern Panchagarh, the government found 4,850 landless-and-homeless people and constructed abodes for all of them, said Md Jahirul Islam, the district’s deputy commissioner. In western Magura district houses have been built for 678 families, official sources said. Both the districts are agro-based. Bangladesh has a total of 64 districts. Read: Grade-3 student Jannat now dreams to be a doctor getting Ashrayan house A total of 52 upazilas of different districts, including all the nine upazilas of Panchagarh and Magura, was also announced as having no landless and homeless families as part of the government’s commitment made on the occasion of the Mujib Year to ensure shelter for all the homeless in the country. A total of 19,780 landless families were rehabilitated in these 52 upazilas, officials involved with the project said. They said if anyone is found landless in the two districts and 52 upazilas, the person will immediately be given a house with land. The local administration has already been given an order in this regard. The 52 upazilas are Nawabganj in Dhaka; Madaripur Sadar; Damudya in Shariatpur; Katiadi in Kishoreganj; Gopalpur in Tangail; Ghior and Saturia in Manikganj; Kalukhali in Rajbari; Nagarkanda in Faridpur; Madan in Netrokona; Bhaluka, Nandail, Phulpur and Fulbaria in Mymensingh; Bakshiganj in Jamalpur; Patiya, Karnaphuli, Satkania and Lohagara in Chattogram; Raipur and Ramganj in Laxmipur; Feni Sadar, Chhagalnaiya, Fulgazi and Parshuram in Feni; Gobindaganj in Gaibandha; Atwari, Panchagarh Sadar, Debiganj, Tetulia and Boda in Panchagarh; Nawabganj in Dinajpur; Baliadangi in Thakurgaon; Dimla in Nilphamari; Raninagar in Naogaon; Panchbibi in Joypurhat; Mohonpur, Charghat and Bagha in Rajshahi; Nandigram and Dupchanchia in Bogura; Bagatipara in Natore; Ishwardi in Pabna; Shibganj in Chapainawabganj; Harinakundu in Jhenaidah; Tala in Satkhira; Magura Sadar, Sreepur, Mohammadpur and Shalikha in Magura; Kathalia in Jhalakathi and Dashmina in Patuakhali.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the government will arrange housing for those losing their homes in flood and riverbank erosion alongside rehabilitating the landless and homeless people across the country.