In order to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak and increase readiness for future shocks The World Bank granted $300 million on Friday to assist Bangladesh’s urban local government institutions which will roughly help 40 million urban dwellers.
As per WB news release, The Local Government Covid-19 Response and Recovery Project will support urban local government institutions to effectively respond to and recover from the pandemic. It also mentioned that 329 municipalities and 10 city corporations will be eligible to receive funds from the project twice a year to strengthen vital urban services delivery of facilities and infrastructure, local economic recovery, and climate impacts, catastrophe, and future disease outbreak preparedness.
According to the WB statement, “It is designed to create 1.5 million days of temporary work as well as employment for 10,000 women under the public work scheme. The project will also help the local government institutions to improve preparedness to climate impacts, disaster, and future disease outbreak”
This project will facilitate labour intensive public workers to rehabilitate daily bread of the impoverished sector of our country. Large portion of that segment mostly work in the informal sector and also mostly harmed due to COVID 19 restrictions and lockdowns.
As per WB Country Director Mercy Tembon statement, “The Covid-19 pandemic had hit the poor people in urban areas, caused income losses and disrupted basic service delivery. But the city corporations and the municipalities can play a critical role in helping the urban poor recover from the pandemic as well as get cities prepared to handle future shocks,”
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