Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday inaugurated 11 cluster villages in seven districts of the country, expressing her firm determination to ensure housing for all people of the country.

‘Our aim is that there won’t be a single person to remain homeless and we won’t accept it ... we must arrange shelter for every person,’ she said while inaugurating the cluster villages.

Sheikh Hasina said the nation would celebrate the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2020 and golden jubilee of independence in 2021.

‘I want that a single person doesn’t remain homeless before the birth centenary of Bangabandhu and golden jubilee of independence,’ she added.

The premier opened the cluster villages through videoconferencing from her official Ganabhaban residence here this morning.

The cluster villages are Saniajan under Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat, Hiramanik 1 & 2 under Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila in Lalmonirhat, Kote Bhajani Baladuti (enclave) under Debiganj upazila in Panchagarh, Bairachuna Sirail under Pirganj upazila in Thakurgaon, Baghpur-2 under Kaharole upazila in Dinajpur, Refugeepara-1 under Parbatipur upazila in Dinajpur, Juan-1 under Pirgachha upazila in Rangpur, Arji Joydev under Gangachara upazila in Rangpur, Salaipur under Sadullapur in Gaibandha and Kabirpur-5 under Faridpur Sadarpur upazila in Faridpur.

With the inauguration of 11 cluster villages in seven districts today, 390 families would be rehabilitated and the number of beneficiaries is 1415.

The Ministry of Land constructed these cluster villages under the Cluster Village Project (phase-2). The project that began on October 1 in 2015 will be implemented at a cost of Tk 941,81,30000.

Under the scheme that will end in June 2020, as many as 2500 cluster villages will be constructed across the country and 50,000 landless and homeless families would be rehabilitated.

In the current fiscal, 135 cluster villages would be built at a cost of Tk 90 crore. As many as 4600 families would be rehabilitated through these cluster villages.

Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif Dilu, State Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Land Ministry Rezaul Karim Heera were present at Ganabhaban.

Director General (admin) of the Prime Minister’s Office Kabir Bin Anwar moderated the videoconferencing.