Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited will strengthen its rural development activities through 'Rural Development Scheme' to eradicate poverty. 

The Bank introduced the scheme in 1995 to cater to the investment needs of the agriculture and rural sector of the country to create opportunity for employment and raising income of the rural people. 

"Rural sector occupies an important position in the pre-dominantly agricultural economy of Bangladesh and our Bank is committed to serve the rural economy through the scheme," the IBBL said in a statement.

The Scheme expanded its operations through 183 branches of the Bank in 13,373 villages of the country under 372 thanas of 61 districts. The rural poor are provided with investment facilites in agriculture and 343 selected off-farm economic activities in the rural areas starting from Tk.10,000/- to a maximum limit of Tk 0.3 million.

The amount of cumulative disbursement through this Scheme stood at Tk. 45086.32 million within the 6,24,591 investment clinets upto February 2012. 

The rate of recovery against the running investment is 99 per cent. Besides the investment activities, successful members, so far, have been provided 8,954 tube-wells with amounting Tk.17.71 million and 4,746 sanitary latrines amounting Tk.5.60 million on Quard-e-Hasana (profit-free investment) as a part of health and sanitation programme of the Scheme.

Financial Express/Bangladesh/ 6th April 2012