Program
Employment Generation Program for the Poorest (formerly the 100 Days Employment Program)
An off-season infrastructure improvement project implemented during the Global Financial Crisis
Download PDF (158.59 KB)Summary
This program targets the poorest, rural households in Bangladesh to provide employment during the off-season and develop community infrastructure and assets. Poor rural households are especially sensitive to changes in the prices of food and fuel - and price volatility is only expected to increase with climatic changes. The work projects are mostly basic infrastructure to mitigate disaster risk.
Defining principles
Generation of short-term employment opportunities and strengthening households’ ability to cope with economic vulnerability.
Rationale
Implemented in response to the food, fuel, and financial crisis of 2007-2008. These overlapping crises demonstrated the need for public-sector intervention and innovation to protect the most vulnerable rural populations.
Number of participants
1.9 million program participants in fiscal year 2021-2022 (2).
Criteria for participation
Members of households 18 to 60 years old with less than a half-acre of land and where head of household is a manual laborer (4). Applicants cannot receive any other government benefits (5). Rural citizens living in extreme poverty are targeted.
Person-days of employment
50 million workdays per year as of 2021 (3).
Pay and benefits
BDT 16,000 for those who work both 40 day cycles as of 2021. This is below the market wage (6).
Financing
BDT 19.25B fiscal year 2021-2022 (7). BDT 200 per working day in 2017 (8). Funding is allocated to administrative districts based on their poverty rates (9).
Implementation
Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief with support from the World Bank (10).
Types of work
Manual work building rural community infrastructure projects decided upon by local communities and government bodies. Ninety-five percent of projects are to build and repair rural roads (11). Other public work projects include excavation for canals, footbridge construction, drainage development, and construction of rainwater reservoirs (12). The program may soon expand to include climate resilience projects.
Notable features
Split into two, 40 day cycles; October to December and March to May – lean seasons. Each cycle offers forty days of employment. One third of all beneficiaries are women (13).
Challenges
Targeting of the poorest could still be improved, 29% of recipients were above the official poverty line in 2011 (14).
Visit program website
Citations
- Bangladesh Ministry of Finance (2022). Social Security Programs: Fiscal Year 2022-23. http://file-chittagong.portal.gov.bd/uploads/acbc1606-3137-43c2-88f4-bfa19529b57c//634/e58/599/634e58599c50c660500898.pdf
- Bangladesh Ministry of Finance (2022). Social Security Programs: Fiscal Year 2022-23.
- Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. (2021). Piloting of Disaster Risk Reduction Integrated Employment Generation Programmee for the Poorest o (EGPP) for Enhancing Resilience in Islampur, Jamalpur. https://modmr.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/modmr.portal.gov.bd/publications/a51fab91_73e7_4eb3_a5a9_c128263919df/EGPP%20-Pilot-Islampur%20with%20logo.pdf
- Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. (2021). Piloting of Disaster Risk Reduction Integrated Employment Generation Programmee for the Poorest o (EGPP) for Enhancing Resilience in Islampur, Jamalpur.
- Anwar, Rubaba; Cho, Yoonyoung. (2019). Employment Generation Program for the Poorest Bangladesh: Program Brief. (English). Washington, D.C. World Bank Group. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/976511552537992494/pdf/135278-BRI-PUBLIC-13-3-2019-9-16-56-ProgrambriefonEGPPF.pdf
- Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. (2021). Piloting of Disaster Risk Reduction Integrated Employment Generation Programmee for the Poorest o (EGPP) for Enhancing Resilience in Islampur, Jamalpur.
- Bangladesh Ministry of Finance (2022). Social Security Programs: Fiscal Year 2022-23.
- SPFMSP Project, 2017. A Research Study On Government Payment System for Social Protection in Bangladesh. Strengthening Public Financial Management for Social Protection. https://socialprotection.org/discover/publications/research-study-government-payment-system-social-protection-bangladesh
- Anwar, Rubaba; Cho,Yoonyoung. (2019). Employment Generation Program for the Poorest Bangladesh : Program Brief (English). Washington, D.C. World Bank Group.
- Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. (2021). Piloting of Disaster Risk Reduction Integrated Employment Generation Programmee for the Poorest o (EGPP) for Enhancing Resilience in Islampur, Jamalpur.
- Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. (2021). Piloting of Disaster Risk Reduction Integrated Employment Generation Programmee for the Poorest o (EGPP) for Enhancing Resilience in Islampur, Jamalpur.
- Anwar,Rubaba; Cho,Yoonyoung. (2019). Employment Generation Program for the Poorest Bangladesh : Program Brief (English). Washington, D.C. World Bank Group.
- Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. (2021). Piloting of Disaster Risk Reduction Integrated Employment Generation Programmee for the Poorest o (EGPP) for Enhancing Resilience in Islampur, Jamalpur.
- Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. Safety Net System for the Poorest Program. http://snsp.ddm.gov.bd/page/12?lang=en