Adviser to the ministry of local government and rural development AF Hassan Ariff on Sunday revealed that a significant portion of the assets, belonging to the Samabaya Bank, had been illegally captured.
鈥楾hose who were once associated with the bank have now taken possession of its properties,鈥� he said.
Hasan Ariff further disclosed that 12,000 bhari of gold was missing from the bank, and an investigative committee had been formed. Legal actions were being initiated in this regard.
He made these remarks as chief guest at the 57th annual planning conference of the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development in Cumilla. During a briefing with journalists, the adviser provided further details.
During his speech, the adviser emphasised that the cooperative sector had been unable to thrive due to a lack of genuine cooperative spirit among its members.
鈥楳any co-operators are only interested in joining committees, but they pay little attention to the actual development of the cooperative sector,鈥� he remarked.
The event was attended by special guests, including Hossain Zillur Rahman, chairman of the power and participation research centre, professor 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.
The conference also featured discussions on BARD鈥檚 recent research and initiatives in the field of rural development and cooperatives in Bangladesh. The special guests offered valuable suggestions during their addresses.
