35m people live below poverty line: CPD

Currently around 35 million people in Bangladesh are living below the poverty line, including 10 million in extreme poverty, while another 20 million could fall right back into poverty if they miss just two days of work, said Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya.

Speaking at the public launch of an all-party parliamentary caucus for disadvantaged communities at China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka on Thursday Debapriya pointed out that while the poverty rate may have dropped on paper, the actual number of poor people in the country has barely changed. 

He made it clear that Bangladesh's economic growth has failed to bring matching improvements in social and political conditions, leaving deep inequality as a major roadblock to fair progress.

The crisis is hitting young people especially hard. According to Debapriya, one in every four young people in Bangladesh is currently without a job, and among educated youths, the situation is even worse, with one in three unemployed.

Organised by the Citizen's Platform for SDG Implementation at the the newly launched caucus aims to take the real-life struggles and rights of marginalised people directly into parliament, shaping laws, policies, and national budgets while holding authorities accountable. 

The initiative will stand up for people excluded because of their ethnic or religious background, gender, age, disability, location, education, health, occupation, or financial hardship.

During the discussion, lawmakers and rights activists shared candid accounts of what people face on the ground. Member of Parliament Madhabi Marma of women's Seat-34 said residents in the hill districts are struggling just to survive without basic public services, prompting Debapriya to stress that hill issues must be treated as urgent national priorities rather than local problems. 

Member of the Parliament of Dhaka-2 Saiful Alam Khan Milon urged the government to use one clear national standard-looking at food, housing, education, and healthcare-to identify the most vulnerable people instead of making scattered local lists.

Speakers also warned that handing out food and shelter is not enough without decent jobs, while pointing out how corruption and poor public services keep ordinary citizens from getting the help they deserve. 

Activists demanded safe childcare for domestic workers, proper birth registration for children lacking family identities, and basic security, jobs, and healthcare for the transgender community.

Caucus chairman and MP Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon reminded the gathering that uplifting disadvantaged citizens is a constitutional duty of the state, blaming corruption and the misuse of public funds for depriving the poor. 

Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni noted that the government has rolled out farmer, health, and family cards to bring vulnerable groups into the mainstream.

Delivering a blunt admission as chief guest, Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said politicians must own up to why so many people remain left behind. 

He stated that political leaders have too often put their own interests ahead of the public good, adding that politicians cannot simply pass the blame to bureaucrats since the administration operates under political leadership.