The ‘Information & Service Fair’ was held on 3rd and 4th of May, 2011 at Ambika Memorial Hall premises in Faridpur Sadar, as a part of BDPC’s ongoing project “Reducing the Risk of Disasters through Promotion of Rights & Good Governance”, funded by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF).
‘Information & Service Fair’ is the first of its kind as a disaster risk reduction initiative in Bangladesh which aims to develop a harmonious relationship between service provider & service recipient and create an easy pathway for local community to access information and also to avail public services. Engr. Mohammad Abu Sadeque, honorable Director- Planning and Training of Disaster Management Bureau, inaugurated the two days long fair, while Muhammad Saidur Rahaman, Director of BDPC chaired the inaugural session. Ms. Farzana Nayem, Director Governance, MJF, Dr. Puji Pujiono, Project Manager, CDMP and Mr. Helaluddin, Deputy Commissioner, Faridpur were present as special guests in the inauguration. More than fifteen different service providing agencies of District & Upazila level including Upazila Agriculture office, Upazila Livestock office, Upazila Health office etc. took part in the fair. Almost four thousand community people from different disaster prone unions of Faridpur Sadar came to know about information & services provided by the agencies. Members of the civil society organizations and journalists from different press and electronic media were also present in the fair. Professor Sadeka Halim, the honorable Commissioner of Information Commission was the Chief Guest of the closing ceremony of the event, while Mr. Arif Hossain Khan, Program Manager, Manusher Jonno Foundation was the special guest. A cultural program was also held, with performances by renowned folk singers of Bangladesh to create awareness in DRR. The community’s positive reception and enthusiasm about the fair indicate that an event like this will surely create awareness to the community people and reinforce the relationship between people and government service providing agencies.
