Social justice: The rural development scheme (RDS) in Bangladesh
Keywords:
Social justice, rural development, IBBL, RDS, economy, BangladeshAbstract
Socio-economic development of a country can be measured by ensuring social justice. It requires the expansion of development facilities in urban and rural areas. Given the triumphant march of urbanization, the rural areas are lagging behind in every field of development. Consequently, the rural development has become essential especially for countries like Bangladesh having huge population living in rural areas. Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) has been playing an important role in developing social justice by creating economic opportunities for the rural population. The bank established a SharÊ’ah-based Microfinance programme named Rural Development Scheme (RDS) in 1995 with the objective of alleviating rural poverty by providing micro-investment to the agricultural and rural sectors. Presently, the scheme is being implemented in about 18,810 villages which has helped the people economically. The scheme has also been contributing to the moral and ethical development of the rural people. This paper assesses the activities of RDS programme and analyses its role in the development of social justice in the country. The study has been designed to identify the problems and prospects of the programme and thus recommend the ways to improve its effectiveness.