ED: Don’t let them slip back into poverty

There is the real risk of the numbers rising again
While Covid-19 has spared no section of our society and economy, there is no disputing the fact that the poor, being the most vulnerable, have been disproportionately affected, and that the pandemic has been directly responsible for dragging millions of Bangladeshis back into poverty. 

A recent survey jointly conducted by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) has confirmed this most worrying fact: The study estimated that the new poor constituted 21.2% of the total population in June last year, while now they constitute 14.7%.

 While close to 15% -- or about 24.5 million people -- is still an extremely large number, there is solace in the fact that it is still six percentage points below what it was in June of last year, and this not only demonstrates that the steps taken to help these newly poor have worked, but offers hope that, with the right policies and decisions in place, we can once again bring these people out of poverty.