DHAKA: Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) AF Hassan Ariff has said that 12,000 bhori of gold is missing from the Samabaya Bank.
“An investigative committee has been formed, and legal actions are being initiated in this regard.”
He further disclosed that a significant portion of the assets belonging to the Samabaya Bank have been illegally taken over by those who were once associated with the bank.
He made these remarks as the chief guest at the 57th Annual Planning Conference of the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) in Cumilla yesterday. During a briefing with journalists, the adviser provided further details.
During his speech, the adviser emphasised that the cooperative sector has been unable to thrive due to a lack of genuine cooperative spirit among its members.
“Many cooperators are only interested in joining committees, but they pay little attention to the actual development of the cooperative sector,” he remarked.
The conference also featured discussions on BARD’s recent research and initiatives in the field of rural development and cooperatives in Bangladesh.
The event was attended by special guests including Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), Professor Dr Tofail Ahmed, a local government expert, and Saif Uddin Ahmed, director general of Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD).
The session was presided over by Mosammat Shahanara Khatun, secretary to the Rural Development and Cooperative Division under the Ministry of LGED.