Raise remittance incentive to 5.0 pc to encourage expats

Expatriate Bangladeshis should be given a 5.0 per cent incentive on sending remittances to encourage them to send their hard-earned money home through the official channel, speakers recommended at an event.
The speakers also recommended that the recruiting agencies that send workers abroad by ensuring their safe migration should also be given incentives.
Their recommendations came at an event on a debate competition marking the National Expatriates' Day, says a press release, issued on Tuesday.
The Debate for Democracy (DFD) hosted the competition in the light of shadow parliament presided over by DFD chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron on Sunday last.
In his speech, Mr Chowdhury said that the 2.5 per cent incentive on remittance announced by the government should be increased to 5.0 per cent to protect the interests of Bangladeshis working abroad.
He also said the incentive should be 10 per cent for the remittance sent only by low-income workers who are going abroad with the help of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET).
Mr Kiron also recommended providing Commercially Important Person (CIP) awards to the recruiting agencies that are performing well in sending workers abroad.
The recruiters also should be given incentives, he added.
Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, senior secretary at the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, was the chief guest at the programme.
He said the government is working on opening embassies of some countries in Bangladesh considering the potential labour market.
The government is also working on formulating a policy for the involvement of expatriate Bangladeshis in the development of the country.
"If we can send skilled workers along with stopping visa trading, it will be possible to ensure safe migration while keeping migration costs under control," he said.
In this regard, recruiting agencies and other allied public and private organisations have to play a responsible role.
"Soon recruiting agencies will be awarded CIP. In this case, it is important to classify the recruiting agencies according to their standards, so that it is easy to reward the deserving agencies," he said.
Government Bangla College defeated the Primeasia University in the debate competition titled 'Safe Migration Cannot be Ensured by Law alone'.
Debater Priya Dev of Primeasia University bagged the honour of being the best speaker at the competition.
Mohammad Abul Basher, president of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), and Dr Mallick Anwar Hossain, managing director of the Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), were present at the programme.

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