The government in an inter-ministerial meeting on Wednesday took several decisions for the welfare of the expatriates during the coronavirus crisis including giving Tk 3 lakh to the family of the each victim. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment would also arrange loans up to Tk 7 lakh after return of expatriate workers to enable them pursue viable economic activities, especially in the agriculture sector.
The meeting also decided that every returnee would be given Tk 5,000 on arrival at the airport as conveyance. The Armed Forces Division (AFD) in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare would arrange facilities for them in Dhaka and other districts with a capacity of around 4,000 persons for institutional quarantine.
The meeting was held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in continuation of two previous meetings to address the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic, particularly repatriation of stranded Bangladeshi citizens abroad. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen presided over the meeting. Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Imran Ahmed and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, secretaries and senior officials from different ministries, divisions and agencies were present at the meeting.
A host of issues relating to repatriation, nationality verification, quarantine, relief for the expatriates, coordination among departments, sending medicines and medical equipment to friendly countries, and post-repatriation preparedness were discussed elaborately during the meeting, the foreign ministry said.
As a goodwill gesture, a medical team equipped with medical gadgets and medicines from the Armed Forces Division has been sent to help Kuwait in this critical moment. Also, as a friendly gesture, Bangladesh is sending food stuffs, medicines, medical equipment and other items to the Maldives. A consignment of medicines and medical items will be sent to Bhutan shortly. Bangladesh is also planning to send similar items to other countries in need.
The UAE has expressed keen interest in importing food items from Bangladesh and work is underway to coordinate with all concerned to materialise it, according to the foreign ministry. Over 200 Bangladeshis have so far died of coronavirus abroad, according to the foreign ministry.
