Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said a total of 37, 15,111 workers went abroad with employment and remitted $ 94.98 billion from 2010 to 2016. “Bangladesh sent 7, 57,731 overseas workers including 1, 18,158 females to 162 countries and received $ 13.61 billion as remittance in 2016,” she said this while responding to a question from treasury bench member Selina Begum in the Jatiya Sangsad. Sheikh Hasina said the present Awami League government has undertaken various programmes for development and modernization of migration procedure along with welfare of the expatriate workers. She informed the House that the government honoured 12 expatriates as commercial important persons (CIPs) in 2016, adding, “The CIPs would have privilege to enter Bangladesh Secretariat by using this card side by side with reserved seats for traveling by air, train and waterways.” Besides, they will get facility to sit with government high officials at home and abroad on a priority basis and get invitation to join the national day functions organized by Bangladesh missions abroad, the prime minister said, adding, “If the CIP awardees want to invest in Bangladesh they could enjoy similar facilities like foreign investors.” She said the government has a plan to open labour wings at Bangladesh missions abroad in phases where over 10,000 workers are living and the number of such labour wings has been increased to 29 from 16. Sheikh Hasina, however, said the cabinet has approved “Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Policy 2016” aimed at ensuring safe and easy migration of overseas job seekers alongside creating new employment and ensuring welfare and rights of the expatriate workers and their families.
