Bangladesh missions abroad submit account to home ministry, finally

Fees for MRP, MRV

The Bangladesh missions abroad have started sending the accounts of money received as fees for machine readable passports (MRPs) and machine readable visas (MRVs) to the home ministry to impart transparency to their transactions.
The Bangladesh mission at Singapore has already provided the accounts for USD 5,96,787, received by the mission as fees of MRPs and MRVs in March this year, to the home ministry, disclosed sources in the foreign and home ministries.
On March 9, The Independent published a story titled ‘MRP, MRV fees: Two ministries at loggerheads, Home ministry claims the foreign ministry did not deposit Tk. 2,200cr collected as MRP, MRV fees since 2010; foreign ministry says move underway to deposit the money to government exchequer.’
In an account report, sent to the home ministry by the Bangladesh embassy in Singapore, it said it had income of USD 5,96,787 in March this year as enrolment fees of 3,428 MRPs/HWPs (home work permits), issuance of 1,638 birth and death registrations, and issuance of 393 MRVs.
Of the amount of USD 5,96,787, USD 11,466 was earned as fees for birth and death registration, USD 51,390 was earned from the labour and welfare wing, USD 373 earned as IPA income, USD 1,516 earned from attestations and others, and USD 5,32,042 was earned from the consular wing.
Talking to The Independent, home ministry sources said it was a very good sign that the foreign ministry has started the accounts of the money income as fees of MRPs and MRVs, but it is yet to give any accounts of dues of Tk. 2,200 crore to the exchequer, which have been collected since 2010.
“The foreign ministry should send us accounts reports of other Bangladesh missions abroad who earned money as fees of MRPs, MRVs and other documents,” he said. 
“We hope it will pay the amount of money (Tk. 2,200 crore) as soon as possible as it promised the authorities during an inter-ministerial meeting at the Secretariat, held with the finance secretary in the chair recently, that the amount would be paid,” he said.  
The sources said the foreign ministry issued—through its missions abroad—around 40 lakh MRPs and MRVs, collecting the requisite fees from expatriate Bangladeshis living in different countries over the past seven years. However, the fees were not deposited with the treasury, but kept in their respective bank accounts, bypassing government rules, the sources added. 
As charges for obtaining a machine-readable passport, an expatriate Bangladeshi has to cough up USD 200 on an emergency basis and USD 100 in a normal situation in the US, the UK and Australia. 

Bangladesh missions abroad submit account to home ministry, finally

Fees for MRP, MRV

The Bangladesh missions abroad have started sending the accounts of money received as fees for machine readable passports (MRPs) and machine readable visas (MRVs) to the home ministry to impart transparency to their transactions. The Bangladesh mission at Singapore has already provided the accounts for USD 5,96,787, received by the mission as fees of MRPs and MRVs in March this year, to the home ministry, disclosed sources in the foreign and home ministries. On March 9, The Independent published a story titled MRP, MRV fees: Two ministries at loggerheads, Home ministry claims the foreign ministry did not deposit Tk. 2,200cr collected as MRP, MRV fees since 2010; foreign ministry says move underway to deposit the money to government exchequer. In an account report, sent to the home ministry by the Bangladesh embassy in Singapore, it said it had income of USD 5,96,787 in March this year as enrolment fees of 3,428 MRPs/HWPs (home work permits), issuance of 1,638 birth and death registrations, and issuance of 393 MRVs. Of the amount of USD 5,96,787, USD 11,466 was earned as fees for birth and death registration, USD 51,390 was earned from the labour and welfare wing, USD 373 earned as IPA income, USD 1,516 earned from attestations and others, and USD 5,32,042 was earned from the consular wing. Talking to The Independent, home ministry sources said it was a very good sign that the foreign ministry has started the accounts of the money income as fees of MRPs and MRVs, but it is yet to give any accounts of dues of Tk. 2,200 crore to the exchequer, which have been collected since 2010. The foreign ministry should send us accounts reports of other Bangladesh missions abroad who earned money as fees of MRPs, MRVs and other documents, he said. We hope it will pay the amount of money (Tk. 2,200 crore) as soon as possible as it promised the authorities during an inter-ministerial meeting at the Secretariat, held with the finance secretary in the chair recently, that the amount would be paid, he said. The sources said the foreign ministry issuedthrough its missions abroadaround 40 lakh MRPs and MRVs, collecting the requisite fees fromexpatriate Bangladeshis living in different countries over the past seven years. However, the fees were not deposited with the treasury, but kept in their respective bank accounts, bypassing government rules, the sources added. As charges for obtaining a machine-readable passport, an expatriate Bangladeshi has to cough up USD 200 on an emergency basis and USD 100 in a normal situation in the US, the UK and Australia.