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Abdul Kalam Visit to Grameen Bank |
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The former President of India, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam today visited Grameen Bank to meet with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. It was his first stop during his three day visit to Bangladesh.
During the hour-long meeting, Professor Yunus briefed Dr Kalam on the
activities of Grameen Bank as well as on the concept and practice of
social business, as ways to tackle poverty and other social problems in
South Asia.
Dr Kalam said he had read Professor Yunus book "Banker to the Poor" and
was a great admirer of Professor Yunus and his work. He said he wanted
to meet Professor Yunus to learn about the detailed workings of Grameen
Bank so that microcredit could be incorporated into the approach his
own initiatives in the villages of India through Providing Urban
Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA).
He was particularly interested in the legal framework for microcredit,
the impact on women, the ownership of Grameen Bank by the poor, as
well as of technology in Grameen's programs such as the village phone
program. Professor Yunus said, responding to his questions, that
Grameen would be delighted to help in his efforts to set up microcredit
program in India, as it already involved in Kerala. Dr Kalam for his
part said he would like to promote the idea of a separate law for
microcredit in India.
During the course of the meeting, Dr Kalam presented Professor Yunus with the brand new Hindi edition of Banker to the Poor.
Professor Yunus raised the issue of strengthening SAARC. He elaborated
his proposals about the creation of SAARC passports and SAARC
scholarships. He said there is a strong need for joint efforts in the
region to improve the quality of life of people with regard to poverty
and healthcare. He proposed joint water management and power generation
for the countries of the region, in the spirit of SAARC.
Dr Kalam said he fully supported the ideas of closer cooperation within
SAARC. President Kalam proposed that we should work together to revive
the importance of golden fibre jute by putting the research and
technology behind it. He offered his readiness to impress the
importance of SAARC among leaders in the region.
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