Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan (1914-99) was a development activist and social scientist credited for pioneering farmers cooperatives, rural training programmes, and Microcredit and Microfinance initiatives in developing countries. He also promoted rural development initiatives in Pakistan, Bangladesh and in other developing countries, and advocated community participation in development, and is particularly well known for his role in establishing what is now Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), Comilla project, National Centre for Rural Development in Pakistan, and the Orangi Pilot Project. Development has meaning in several contexts: // Biological development or morphogenesis of embryos in the context of developmental biology Child development (in the context of physical development, or post-natal human development (pediatrics, etc); or in the context of psychological development, part of the larger area of human development (psychology) or... Terms like SOSE (Studies of Society & the Environment) not only refer to social sciences but also studies of the environment. ... A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) comprises a legal entity owned and democratically controlled by its members, with no passive shareholders. ... Rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China Rural areas (also referred to as the country, countryside) are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities. ... // Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty who are not bankable. ... The current version of the article or section reads like a magazine article instead of the formal tones expected of an encyclopedia. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ... Development has meaning in several contexts: // Biological development or morphogenesis of embryos in the context of developmental biology Child development (in the context of physical development, or post-natal human development (pediatrics, etc); or in the context of psychological development, part of the larger area of human development (psychology) or... Comilla Model is a rural development model that was pioneered in 1959 by Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, renamed in 1971 as Banladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), located on the outskirts of Comilla District town. ... The Orangi Pilot Project refers to a project carried out in the slum areas of Orangi, Karachi, Pakistan. ...

Personal life

Akhtar Hameed Khan was born in 15 July 1914 in Agra and died on 9 October 1999. He graduated from from Agra University in 1934 to joine the Indian Civil Service (ICS). On his ICS probation, he studied literature and history at Magdalene College, Cambridge, England. A larger part of his ICS career was served in East Bengal. The Bengal famine of 1943 and subsequent inadequate handling of the situation by the colonial rulers led him to resign from the Indian Civil Service. For two years he worked in a village near Aligarh as a labourer and locksmith. In 1947, he took up a teaching position at the Jamia Millia, Delhi, and worked for three years. July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... Indian Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym ICS, was the elite civil service of the Indian Government. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... HIStory: Past, Present and Future – Book I (or simply HIStory) is a double-disc album by Michael Jackson released in 1995 by the Epic Records devision of Sony Music. ... Full name The College of Saint Mary Magdalene Motto Garde ta Foy Keep your Faith Named after Mary Magdalene Previous names Buckingham College Established 1428 Sister College(s) Magdalen College Master Duncan Robinson Location Magdalene Street Undergraduates 335 Postgraduates 169 Homepage Boatclub Magdalene College (pronounced ) was founded in 1428 as... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly included the modern state of Bangladesh. ... The Bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided Bengal (now independent Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal) in 1943. ... Victoria gate, a part of Aligarh University campus Aligarh (Hindi: अलीगढ़) is a city in Uttar Pradesh state of India. ... In classical economics and all micro-economics labour is one of three factors of production, the others being land and capital. ... Locksmithing is the science and art of making and defeating locks. ... Jamia Milia Islamia (Urdu: جامعہ ملیہ اسلامیہ) National Islamic University is an Indian Central University located in New Delhi. ...

Career

After Partition of Bengal in 1947, Akhtar Hameed Khan migrated to Karachi and from there he went to East Pakistan to become the Principal of the Comilla Victoria College till 1958. During this time, he developed special interest in the initiatives and participation of grassroots level people. In 1958, he went to the Michigan State University for a special orientation in rural development. Returning in 1959, he established Pakistan Academy for Rural Development at Comilla, later renamed as Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD). He worked there until 1971 as the Director. His Comilla Model for rural development and cooperatives became famous for successful working of the model. The Partition of Bengal in 1947 divided Bengal into the two separate entities of West Bengal belonging to India, and East Bengal belonging to Pakistan. ... Karachi (Urdu: كراچى, Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the capital of the province of Sindh, and the most populated city in Pakistan, sometimes known as the City of Quaid (شہرِ قائد), after Muhammad Ali Jinnah the founder of Pakistan. ... East Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1955 and 1971. ... Michigan State University (MSU) is a public university in East Lansing, Michigan. ... Comilla (3085. ...

After Partition of Pakistan, when East Pakistan became Bangladesh, Khan moved to Pakistan and served as a Research Fellow, first at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, and then in 1972-1973 at Karachi University. In 1973, he went back to the Michigan State University as a visiting professor to remain there until 1979. In 1979 he also began serving as an adviser at the Rural Development Academy at Bogra in northern Bangladesh. Combatants Mukti Bahini India Pakistan Commanders • General M A G Osmani • General Jagjit Singh Aurora General A. A. K. Niazi Strength India: 500,000+ Mukti Bahini: 100,000[1][2] Pakistan Army: 365,000 Paramilitary: 280,000[1] Casualties India: 1,426 KIA 3,611 Wounded (Official) Mukti Bahini: NA... East Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1955 and 1971. ... It is situated in Faisalabad. ... The University of Karachi, located in Karachi is Pakistans largest public university. ... Michigan State University (MSU) is a public university in East Lansing, Michigan. ...

In 1963, he received Magsaysay Award by the Governemnt of the Philippines for his services in rural development. In 1964, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law by Michigan State University. Dr Khan also worked as a visiting professor at the Lund University, Sweden, at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, at Harvard University, and Oxford University. In 1980, he founded the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) in Karachi. The Magsaysay award is given in honor of the late President of the Philippines Ramon Magsaysay. ... Michigan State University (MSU) is a public university in East Lansing, Michigan. ... Lund University main building, from 1882 by Helgo Zettervall. ... The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (often truncated to Woodrow Wilson School or abbreviated WWS; known as Woody Woo in campus slang) is a professional school of public affairs at Princeton University. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located in Princeton, New Jersey in the United States of America. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The Orangi Pilot Project refers to a project carried out in the slum areas of Orangi, Karachi, Pakistan. ... Karachi (Urdu: كراچى, Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the capital of the province of Sindh, and the most populated city in Pakistan, sometimes known as the City of Quaid (شہرِ قائد), after Muhammad Ali Jinnah the founder of Pakistan. ...

Languages

Dr Khan was fluent in English, Bengali, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages. He wrote a number of articles, reports and monographs, mostly relating to rural development in general and his various successful and model initiatives in particular. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) or Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language of East South Asia, evolved from Sanskrit and Prakrit. ... The Arabic language ( ), or simply Arabic ( ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic and Aramaic. ... Persian, (local name: Fārsī or Pārsī), is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Pioneer of microcredit and microfinance

Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan introduced the revolutionary idea of microcredit and microfinance, for the destitute and the underprivileged. Two of his most successful projects are still priviledged as models across the developing world: // Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty who are not bankable. ... The current version of the article or section reads like a magazine article instead of the formal tones expected of an encyclopedia. ...

Comilla Model

Main article: Comilla Model

The Commilla Model was Dr Khan's reply to the failure of Village Agricultural and Industrial Development (V-AID) programme, launched in 1953 in East and West Pakistan with technical assistance from the US government. The V-AID was a governmental level attempt to promote citizens participation in the sphere of rural development^[1]. Comilla Model is a rural development model that was pioneered in 1959 by Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, renamed in 1971 as Banladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), located on the outskirts of Comilla District town. ... Comilla Model is a rural development model that was pioneered in 1959 by Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, renamed in 1971 as Banladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), located on the outskirts of Comilla District town. ...

Comilla Model provided a methodology of implementation in the areas of agricultural and rural development on the principle of grassroots level cooperative participation by the people ^[2]. The initial concept to was to provide a development model of programmes and institutions that could be replicated across the country.

Orangi Pilot Project

Orangi poverty alleviation project (Orangi Pilot Project, OPP) was initiated by Dr Khan in 1980. Orangi at that time was the largest katchi abadi (a shanty town) in Karachi. The project was aimed at socio-economic development of the population of the vast Orangi area of Karachi, Pakistan. As a project project director Dr Khan and proved to be its dynamic and innovative leader. The Orangi Pilot Project refers to a project carried out in the slum areas of Orangi, Karachi, Pakistan. ... Orangi is one of the neighborhoods of Orangi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. ... Karachi (Urdu: كراچى, Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the capital of the province of Sindh, and the most populated city in Pakistan, sometimes known as the City of Quaid (شہرِ قائد), after Muhammad Ali Jinnah the founder of Pakistan. ... Karachi (Urdu: كراچى, Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the capital of the province of Sindh, and the most populated city in Pakistan, sometimes known as the City of Quaid (شہرِ قائد), after Muhammad Ali Jinnah the founder of Pakistan. ...

Comparing the OPP with Comilla project, Akhtar Hameed Khan commented: "The Orangi Pilot Project was very different from the Comilla Academy. OPP was a private body, dependent for its small fixed budget on another NGO. The vast resources and support of the government, Harvard advisers, MSU, and Ford Foundation was missing. OPP possessed no authority, no sanctions. It may observe and investigate but it could only advise, not enforce." ^[3] However, both the projects followed the same research and extension methods.

Anniversary

Dr Khan died on 9 October 1999 at the age of 85 years. On 10 April 2000, Government of Pakistan, renamed the National Centre for Rural Development as Akhtar Hameed Khan National Centre for Rural Development and Municipal Administration. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... // About Pakistan The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان, Islāmī Jamhūriya i Pākistān), or Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان, Pākistān) is a country located in South Asia that overlaps onto the greater Middle East and Central Asia. ...

Civil Awards

• Nishan-e-Imtiaz
• Sitara-e-Pakistan
• Hilal-e-Imtiaz
• Ramon Magsaysay Award 1963

Publications

• 1996, Orangi Pilot Project: Reflection and Reminiscences. The Oxford University Press: Karachi. (1st edition 1996, 2nd edition 1999)
• 1997, The sanitation gap: Development's deadly menace. The Progress of Nations. UNICEF see the article

• Safar-e-Amrika ki Diary (Urdu: A Diary of Travels in America). The City Press: Karachi (1972)
• Chiragh aur Kanwal (Collection of poems in Urdu). Saad Publishers: Karachi, 1988

Books about Dr Khan

• 1983, The Works of Akhtar Hameed Khan. Volume I-III. Compiled by the Bandladesh Academy for Rural Development, Kothbari, Comilla.

• 2000, In commemoration of The Life and Times of Akhter Hameed Khan: Talks of Akhter Hameed Khan at the National Rural Support Programme, Islamabad, NRSP.

• 2003, Allama Mashriqi and Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan: Two Legends of Pakistan, by Nasim Yousaf, ISBN 1-40-109097-4

Notes

1. ^ The Works of Akhtar Hameed Khan. Volume I-III. Compiled by the Bandladesh Academy for Rural Development, Kothbari, Comilla. (1983)
2. ^ Arthur F Raper, Rural Development in Action: The Comprehensive Experiment at Comilla, East Pakistan, Cornell University Press: Ithaca (1970)
3. ^ Introduction about Late Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan at Government of Pakistan website

External links

• Orangi Pilot Project, Microcredit Programme
• Orangi Pilot Project
• Website dedicated to Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan
• A Tribute to Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan
• Akhtar Hameed Khan page on BANGLAPEDIA
• Photo Gallery