Staff Correspondent

A. F. Hassan Ariff, Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD), has revealed that a significant portion of the assets belonging to the Samabaya Bank have been illegally captured. Those who were once associated with the bank have now taken possession of its properties.

He further disclosed that 12,000 bhori of gold is missing from the bank, and an investigative committee has been formed. Legal actions are being initiated in this regard.

He made these remarks as the chief guest at the 57th Annual Planning Conference of the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) in Cumilla today. During a briefing with journalists, the adviser provided further details.

The event was attended by special guests including Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), Professor Dr. Tofail Ahmed, a local government expert, and Saif Uddin Ahmed, Director General of BARD. The session was presided over by Mosammat Shahanara Khatun, Secretary of the Rural Development and Cooperative Division under the Ministry of LGED.

During his speech, the Advisor emphasized that the cooperative sector has been unable to thrive due to a lack of genuine cooperative spirit among its members.

"Many cooperators are only interested in joining committees, but they pay little attention to the actual development of the cooperative sector," he remarked.

The conference also featured discussions on BARD’s recent research and initiatives in the field of rural development and cooperatives in Bangladesh. The special guests offered valuable suggestions during their addresses.