Database to assist returning migrants

The expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry is working on creating a database of expatriate workers who have returned home from different countries since the outbreak of the global Covid-19 pandemic, to provide them with financial assistance and training.  

Returning workers in distress and their families will be included in the "Returnee Database", said a press release. 

"Starting today (Wednesday), the registration procedure will continue until further notice," Shariful Islam, deputy director of Wage Earners' Welfare Board (WEWB), told The Business Standard.

The expected beneficiaries were advised to contact the District Manpower and Employment Office (DMEO) or the Technical Training Centre (TTC) to get themselves registered, added the press release.

For successful registration, they will have to provide copies of the national identity card (NID), passport, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) smart card, and an active mobile number.                                          

Around five lakh Bangladeshis have returned from various destination countries amid the pandemic, according to the BMET.

Many of them have lost their jobs permanently, it added.