Target of remittances set at $30b by 2012
Sunday, 20 December 2009
The government is contemplating launching a Tk 250 million (25 crore) project styled 'Promoting Decent Work through Migration' from July next year to have registration of migrant workers returning home on completion of jobs to utilise their hard-earned experiences and ensure safer investment by them, reports BSS.
Sources with the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment said once the returnees, including sacked and homesick migrants, are registered under the three-year project they will be provided with necessary facilities, including establishing bank linkage, developing entrepreneurship, counseling, training and remigration.
Director (Labour Market Information) of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) Dr M Nurul Islam said Swedish Development Corporation (SDC) would provide the financial support to the ILO's largest safe migration project.
Under the pilot project, Dr Islam said, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has already been tasked with monitoring the number of migrant workers returning home from abroad every month.
The main components of the project are: policy streamlining, capacity building of BMET and strengthening some NGOs working for ensuring the rights of the migrant workers, he said.
The BMET director said the government for the first time has allocated Tk 700 million as a revolving fund and from which monthly interests would be spent for the welfare of the migrant workers besides the existing Tk three billion (300 crore) expatriates welfare fund.
Mentioning remittances reaching US $ 10 billion this year, he said the government has set a target of remittances at US $ 30 billion by 2012.
Since the beginning of sending skilled, semi-skilled and un-skilled Bangladeshi job seekers abroad in 1976, a total of 65,16,809 workers have so far received overseas employment at different destinations and they remitted Tk 3547.59 billion (354,759.17 crore) during the period.
Sources with the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment said once the returnees, including sacked and homesick migrants, are registered under the three-year project they will be provided with necessary facilities, including establishing bank linkage, developing entrepreneurship, counseling, training and remigration.
Director (Labour Market Information) of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) Dr M Nurul Islam said Swedish Development Corporation (SDC) would provide the financial support to the ILO's largest safe migration project.
Under the pilot project, Dr Islam said, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has already been tasked with monitoring the number of migrant workers returning home from abroad every month.
The main components of the project are: policy streamlining, capacity building of BMET and strengthening some NGOs working for ensuring the rights of the migrant workers, he said.
The BMET director said the government for the first time has allocated Tk 700 million as a revolving fund and from which monthly interests would be spent for the welfare of the migrant workers besides the existing Tk three billion (300 crore) expatriates welfare fund.
Mentioning remittances reaching US $ 10 billion this year, he said the government has set a target of remittances at US $ 30 billion by 2012.
Since the beginning of sending skilled, semi-skilled and un-skilled Bangladeshi job seekers abroad in 1976, a total of 65,16,809 workers have so far received overseas employment at different destinations and they remitted Tk 3547.59 billion (354,759.17 crore) during the period.