(BSS) - Finance Adviser to the interim government Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has pledged to provide financial assistance

and vocational training to make self-reliant of the Shaheed family members and injured beneficiaries of Social Development Foundation (SDF) who participated in the anti-discrimination student movement during July-August 2024.

"The sacrifices and participation of SDF members demonstrate the solidarity of the student and public uprising during the mass movement of July-August 2024, in which people from all walks of life participated," he said.

Dr Salehuddin, also the adviser of Science and Technology ministry, made this commitment today while speaking as the chief guest at a ceremony held at the SDF headquarters in the city where financial aid and grants were provided to the Shaheed families and the SDF injured members who were involved in the July-August mass uprising.

A total of seven individuals from the beneficiary families under the World Bank supported Resilience, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Improvement (RELI) Project of SDF were martyred in the frontline movement, 16 sustained serious injuries and 33 others injured during the July-August protests.

In addition, several other individuals were affected to varying extents.

Each of the seven martyred families received Taka 200,000 while each of the 16 seriously injured individuals got Taka 100,000 and 33 injured members received Taka 50,000 each as financial assistance in the ceremony.

Along with this financial support, the affected families have been actively engaged in poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement activities at the grassroots level, as part of the project`s objectives.

Chairman of the SDF Board of Directors and Chairman of the National Board of
Revenue (NBR) Dr. Mohammad Abdul Majid presided over the function.

The event was attended, among others, by Secretary of the Financial
Institutions Division under Ministry of Finance Nazma Mubarek, its senior
officials, members of the SDF Board of Directors and Governing Body,
journalists and family members of the martyred and injured families.

The primary goal of the ceremony was to honor the martyrs and offer prayers
for their souls while expressing sympathy and support to the families of the
martyrs and the injured in the anti-discrimination movement of July-August
2024.

The SDF, an autonomous, non-profit organization under the Financial
Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance, has been operational since
2001. Its mission remains focused on improving livelihoods, reducing poverty,
and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) across Bangladesh.