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DHAKA: Bangladesh has sent a total of 432,786 workers to various countries in just over six months, according to information presented at a parliamentary committee meeting.
The figures were disclosed at a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment on Thursday (October 8).
According to the meeting, a total of 432,786 workers, including 36,590 women, were sent abroad between February 18 and September 30 this year. During the same period, Bangladesh received $24.75 billion in remittances, approximately $2.80 billion more than in the corresponding period of the previous year.
The information was presented at the committee’s first meeting, held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban under the chairmanship of committee chairman A.K.M. Fazlul Haque Milon.
At the meeting, the committee recommended strict monitoring to ensure that migrant workers do not face negligence or harassment after arriving at airports. It also urged ministry officials and employees to perform their duties responsibly to prevent irregularities and corruption in the ministry’s activities.
The meeting was also informed that, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, a total of 186 people, including 12 women and eight children, had been repatriated from Iran with funding from the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board.
It was further stated that workers are sent abroad through government-approved private recruiting agencies and Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL).
Bangladesh currently has 2,860 recruiting agencies, of which 2,187 are operational.
Committee members attending the meeting included Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, State Minister Md. Nurul Haque, Golam Mohammad Siraj, Md. Jasim Uddin, Rafiqul Islam Hilali, Nasir Uddin Ahmed, Md. Anwarul Islam and Abul Kawsar Mohammad Nazrul Islam.