At least 75 percent of the 1,600 surveyed households of marginalised communities had experienced additional financial hardship caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a research presented by the Centre for Policy Dialogue.

Most of those households have yet to recover from the hardships, Afra Tahsin Chowdhury, research associate at the CPD, told a session at a two-day conference at the Brac Centre Inn in the capital.

For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel.

As coping strategies, 20 percent of the households had to cut down food and other expenses and borrowed money. Moreover, 10.5 percent of the households had to sell assets besides cutting down on expenses and borrowing money, she added.

The conference on “Bangladesh Emerging from the Pandemic: Coping Experiences and Policy Choices”, is being organised by Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, with support from the CPD.

The presentation by Afra was based on two working papers of Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh. Data for the survey was collected in February and April this year.

According to the papers, the expected recovery from financial hardship could take as many as 18 months and the families may be able to repay the loans in about 3.5 years.

Marginalised households cutting down on food-related expenses may negatively affect hunger and nutrition status, it adds.

Moreover, a large number of marginalised households are likely to lose their savings and fall into a debt trap.

Disseminating essential food commodities via the government’s Open Market Sales programme should continue, especially in the neighbourhoods of the marginalised communities.

According to another CPD presentation, many “new poor” were excluded from the government’s cash support of Tk 2,500 each to 5 million households, and gratuitous relief that included food (rice) assistance and another cash support.

These people are referred to as the new poor because they lost their earnings, jobs, and livelihood opportunities during the pandemic.

Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, said a TIB study found marginalised groups were already being deprived of government services. But their deprivation worsens during the pandemic.

He also said the government’s social safety net programmes or other development initiatives are seen as a way to make wealth for a section of politically opportunist groups.

Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam said the pandemic left a large number of new poor and caused those who were already poor and marginalised to suffer immensely.

The country’s development practitioners came forward and boosted their support, she said.

Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, among others, addressed the session.



Pandemic Fallout: Three in 4 homes faced hardship
Source: Trend Viral Philippines