Arshad Asad, Gafargaon (Mymensingh)

Zayeda Khatun is 60- year old. She has no one . Zayeda Thatun lives in the abandoned building of the railway station with her crippled husband Siraj Uddin Siruk (70).

One has to live with what one gets by begging in different trains all day. Zayeda Khatun, who has become depressed due to age, does not have enough rice in her stomach on the days when she cannot go out to beg.

Gafargaon Upazila Nibarhi Officer Md. Abidur Rahman gifted Zayeda Khatun a grocery store with goods to make her self-reliant.

Upazila Executive Officer Md. Abidur Rahman handed over the shop along with the goods to the hospital road of the municipal area on Monday afternoon.

Helpless beggar Zayeda Khatun is happy to find a shop with goods. Upazila Social Service Officer Taslima Begum and officials-employees of Social Service Office were present at this time.

Upazila Social Service Officer Taslima Begum said that under the beggar rehabilitation program with the support of Social Services Department, 92 kinds of shops have been handed over to Zayeda Khatun beggars to enable them to live a self-reliant life.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Abidur Rahman said that beggar Zayda Khatun has been rehabilitated with the aim of creating alternative employment by discouraging the practice of begging.

This ongoing process of beggar-free will continue. With the aim of making the upazila free of beggars, the government started a beggar rehabilitation program with the support of the upazila social service office.

So far 6 beggars of the upazila have been rehabilitated under the 'Rehabilitation and alternative employment of people engaged in begging' program of the Ministry of Social Welfare.

Tk 60,000 to each beggar, already 5 people have been bought the goods of the grocery store to Atrorikrasa and Zayeda Khatun.