Critical Aid for July Uprising Families Threatened by Foundation’s Financial Woes
The July Shaheed Smrity Foundation helps families affected by the July Uprising. This vital foundation now faces a severe money shortage. Its 39 staff have not received salaries for five months. The foundation also owes Tk2.4 million for office rent over the past year.
Lack of funds makes daily operations very difficult. Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Kamal Akbar, the foundation’s CEO, loaned Tk1 million of his own money. This helped staff receive some payment before Eid. Mr. Akbar has not taken his own salary for several months.
A Tk30 million allocation from the Local Government Division is now fully used. This money was for salaries and other costs. Many employees are taking unpaid leave. Some have resigned due to not being paid.
Nahid Islam, Opposition Chief Whip, raised this issue in Parliament. On June 28, he asked the government to provide more funds. The CEO had previously informed him about the financial problems.
The foundation launched in September 2024 with Tk1 billion from the Interim Government’s fund. Professor Muhammad Yunus was its first Chairman. This supported a government promise to help July Uprising families.
The foundation initially had Tk1.24 billion. Only Tk38.5 million remains today. Official records list 843 martyrs and 14,370 injured people. The CEO said Tk3.83 billion is needed. So far, only Tk1 billion has been provided.
The foundation has disbursed Tk1.2 billion in aid. This includes Tk420 million for 831 martyr families. Tk780 million went to 6,127 injured individuals. It also identifies unknown martyrs and archives family data.
Despite financial problems, CEO Kamal Akbar believes the foundation will not close. It has government approval and allocated land for a permanent office. Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the President, also said a funding request is being reviewed positively by the government.
