Abdul Kalam Visit to Grameen Bank
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.
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).
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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.
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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.
