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The rural development paradigm was first conceptualized at Bangladesh Academy of
Rural Development (BARD), Comilla (www.bard.gov.bd) in early sixties which is popularly
known as ‘Comilla Model’. The components of Comilla Model are as follows:
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Two tier Cooperatives - Krishak Samabaya Samity (KSS, i.e. farmers cooperative association)
and Thana (Upazila) Central Cooperatives Association (TCCA)
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Rural Works Programme (RWP)
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Thana (Upazila) Irrigation Programme (TIP)
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Thana (Upazila) Training and Development Centre (TTDC)
Three components out of four (except no. 1) are now being implemented by LGED. An
Engineering Cell was established in the Local Government Division (LGD) under the
Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperative (MLGRD&C) in
1970s to oversee the rural works program. To administer rural works program nation
wide in an organized approach, the Works Program Wing (WPW) was created in 1982
under the Development Budget. It was transformed into the Local Government Engineering
Bureau (LGEB) under Revenue Budget of the Government in October, 1984. LGEB was
upgraded as the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in August, 1992.
The organizational evolution of LGED can be illustrated as follows:

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