'Spl citizen facility' offered to NRBs
FE Report | Sunday, 13 July 2008
The government has decided to offer 'Special Citizen Facility' to the expatriate Bangladeshis who would send inward remittances over $5000 in the fiscal 2007-08 aiming to boost inflow of foreign exchange, said a top Manpower Ministry official Saturday.
Secretary of the government's Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Abdul Matin Chowdhury said there is a huge potential to boost remittances from over 5.6 million Bangladeshis, living and working in over 100 countries, by offering some lucrative facilities at home.
"We have already sought applications from those Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) who sent home over $5000 in 2007-08 year," he said.
If necessary, Chowdhury said, the deadline for submitting applications, to expire on July 31, will be further extended.
He said application forms are available at the web site of the Ministry can be sent to the respective Bangladesh missions abroad after filling up.
Replying to a question, Chowdhury said all selected NRBs will get special assistance in airports, government hospitals and public transports and security of their wealth and property.
Apart from getting invitation to the national events, they will also be given priority in allocation of the government residential plots.
By December this year, Chowdhury said the ministry will complete all procedures to announce the names of the NRBs for offering special citizenship facilities in 2009 calendar year.
Apart from this newly introduced facilities, the government offers Commercially Important Person (CIP) awards to those NRBs who invest or import goods worth $500,000 or remit home $150,000 in a financial year.
"Introduction of the SCP will contribute to boosting inflow of remittances as many NRBs will come under this facility," Mr. Chowdhury said.
Bangladesh received $7.939 billion remittances in the fiscal 2007-08 against $5.978 billion in 2006-07 fiscal, according to the provisional figures of the central bank of Bangladesh.
According to the statistics of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), more than 475,800 Bangladeshis found jobs in January-June period of this calendar year.
The BMET said Bangladeshis are increasingly getting jobs abroad, with the Persian Gulf countries including Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and the South East Asian nations of Malaysia and Singapore the main destinations.
Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserve stood at $6.20 billion on last Sunday, thanks to a robust growth of remittances from the expatriate Bangladeshis, an official said.
Secretary of the government's Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Abdul Matin Chowdhury said there is a huge potential to boost remittances from over 5.6 million Bangladeshis, living and working in over 100 countries, by offering some lucrative facilities at home.
"We have already sought applications from those Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) who sent home over $5000 in 2007-08 year," he said.
If necessary, Chowdhury said, the deadline for submitting applications, to expire on July 31, will be further extended.
He said application forms are available at the web site of the Ministry can be sent to the respective Bangladesh missions abroad after filling up.
Replying to a question, Chowdhury said all selected NRBs will get special assistance in airports, government hospitals and public transports and security of their wealth and property.
Apart from getting invitation to the national events, they will also be given priority in allocation of the government residential plots.
By December this year, Chowdhury said the ministry will complete all procedures to announce the names of the NRBs for offering special citizenship facilities in 2009 calendar year.
Apart from this newly introduced facilities, the government offers Commercially Important Person (CIP) awards to those NRBs who invest or import goods worth $500,000 or remit home $150,000 in a financial year.
"Introduction of the SCP will contribute to boosting inflow of remittances as many NRBs will come under this facility," Mr. Chowdhury said.
Bangladesh received $7.939 billion remittances in the fiscal 2007-08 against $5.978 billion in 2006-07 fiscal, according to the provisional figures of the central bank of Bangladesh.
According to the statistics of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), more than 475,800 Bangladeshis found jobs in January-June period of this calendar year.
The BMET said Bangladeshis are increasingly getting jobs abroad, with the Persian Gulf countries including Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and the South East Asian nations of Malaysia and Singapore the main destinations.
Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserve stood at $6.20 billion on last Sunday, thanks to a robust growth of remittances from the expatriate Bangladeshis, an official said.