The number of flights to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will be increased to 20 per week, starting from today (Thursday), foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Wednesday.
During the Covid period, he said, 107,000 Bangladeshi workers have returned home from the Middle East (ME) since the start of the pandemic.
The figure is much smaller compared to the number---1.5 million--- a section of people had feared, Mr Momen claimed.
Talking to the media after a virtual meeting with the envoys of Gulf countries and Malaysia in Dhaka, he said 10 of the weekly flights will be operated by the Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier.
The minister said the rise in flights will pave the way for a quick return of the Bangladeshi workers, who are stranded here due to the pandemic, to the Gulf countries.
Expatriate welfare minister Imran Chowdhury was also present during the meeting, which was convened to fix the problems the Bangladeshi expatriates have been facing.
Mr Momen, however, said any migrant worker failing to produce valid employment documents will be unable to go back to Saudi Arabia.
The visa issued to 25,000 Bangladeshis this March will be renewed. If any of them lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia, he or she will not be able to go back.
Replying to a query, the minister said the government has nothing to do in the matters of sending a Bangladeshi worker back to Saudi Arabia if he or she has lost his/her job there.
In such cases, the worker should contact their employer personally to get back the job or seek another in any company because a worker cannot re-enter Saudi Arabia without employment.
Mr Momen urged the stranded workers not to stage demonstrations in a disruptive manner, saying that it would further affect their job prospects abroad.
"We're trying to persuade the governments of the host countries to reinstate our workers," he said.
The minister said the jobless returnees can avail loans from the government fund to start a business.
At the event, Mr Ahmed said a total of Tk 7.0 billion has been allocated for this purpose and, if necessary, the amount will be increased.
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