'Allocate funds for safe night shelters for street children'
INCIDIN Bangladesh, a national research-based private development agency, has called on the caretaker government to allocate adequate funds in the budget to establish safe night shelters for street children, says a press release.The agency handed over a proposal in this regard to the office of finance and planning adviser yesterday. The proposal was placed by AKM Mustaque Ali, an executive director of INCIDIN Bangladesh. In the proposal, the agency has called on the government to set aside an allocation in the budget of 2007-08 for establishing safe night shelters in Dhaka and all other major cities. It has categorically mentioned that if the government is willing to utilise the infrastructure already available at rail stations, bus and river terminals, bazars and the establishments which are left unutilised during night time (such as schools) or the khas properties, the budgetary allocation will not require any huge investment in the construction of infrastructure. The allocation will be required to purchase minor logistics such as beds and cabinet, employment of a basic pool of social workers and setting up of a monitoring structure, it added. INCIDIN Bangladesh has already formed a national alliance involving the representatives of government officials, children's organisations, NGOs and government agencies working on the issues concerning street children and development partners. It also offered to extend all sorts of cooperation to any government initiatives in this regard.
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