Remittance to hit $15b this year: Minister
G2G Plus deal to be signed soon to
send workers to Malaysia, Nurul Islam, expatriates� welfare and overseas
employment minister
UNB
Bangladeshs remittance earnings sent by expatriates will stand at US$ 15 billion by the year-end, Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc said here, reports UNB.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the International Migration Day that falls on December 18, the minister said 5,23,598 Bangladeshis have so far gone abroad this year for jobs while the number will stand at 5.5 lakh by the end of the current year.
Nurul Islam said some 96 lakh Bangladeshis are employed abroad in almost 160 countries.
He said the government will not allow anybody to go abroad illegally, and mentioned that the government has already stopped the way of going abroad through risky boat voyage.
The Expatriates Minister said sending workers to Malaysia under G-to-G plus (government-to-government plus) initiative is now at the final stage.
He hoped that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will soon be signed to send workers under the G-to-G Plus initiative.
Responding to a question, the Minister said the workers will be sent through recruiting agencies having good track record not by any syndicate.
He described the programmes chalked out to observe the International Migration Day that include rally, discussion and fairs.
The minister also said expatriates living in the Middle East will not be affected by Islamic State (IS) because of Bangladeshs allegiance to Saudis Islamic military coalition.
We are not concerned about IS. Bangladesh has decided to join the alliance as the county complies with the policy of Saudi Arabia, the minister said this morning.
Asked, the minters said the role of Bangladesh in the coalition will be understood better after talks with Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabias move drew mixed reactions and confusion over its role, even among its own members.
Comments from several signatory of the countries that signed up to the initiative appeared to reveal a lack of preparation by Riyadh, which approached partners with an invitation to join a coordination centre but then announced a military alliance.
Additional Secretary of the Ministry Md Hazrat Ali and Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) Director General Begum Shamsun Nahar were present at the press conference held at the Ministry conference room.
