Originally posted in The Daily Star on 21 May 2023
Allocate Tk 4,550cr for migrant welfare
CPD suggests govt on pre-budget discussion
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) yesterday proposed that the government allocate a budget of Tk 4,550 crore to ensure the welfare and rights of migrant workers.
This budget can be implemented by different ministries under a “multilayer project” with expenditure divided for pre-departure, destination country, and reintegration stages, CPD Research Director Khondaker Golam Moazzem said while unveiling the proposal during a “Pre-Budget Dialogue for the FY 2023-2024 on Migrants’ Welfare”.
Bangladesh Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development, with support from Warbe Development Foundation, organised the dialogue at Parliament Members’ Club inside the Jatiya Sangsad premises in the capital.
Moazzem’s proposal is based on a study jointly undertaken by CPD, the Caucus and Warbe.
He said during the 2022 fiscal, a migrant worker sent around Tk 2.10 lakh in remittance, while the government spent only Tk 780 per migrant worker.
“There is a big mismatch between the challenges faced by migrant workers and the budgetary allocation provided to address them,” he said during his presentation.
“If it is not possible to include the proposal in the upcoming national budget, a discussion based on this could be started for its inclusion in the next national budget,” said Moazzem.
He also mentioned that in FY 2023, the allocation for the expatriates’ welfare ministry was Tk 990 crore or 0.14 percent of the total budget. Meanwhile, the implementation of the allocated budget at the ministerial level remained less than 70 percent on average.
Moazzem stressed enhancing the budget spending capacity of the ministry.
According to his budget proposal, Moazzem said Tk 2,150 crore could be allocated to address challenges at the pre-departure stage, which include expenditure for upscaling skills and providing airfare, which can help reduce the migrant cost.
For addressing challenges in the destination countries, he proposed that there could be an allocation of Tk 1,700 crore, including the expenditure for building shelter houses for female migrants and providing low-cost or free remittance services.
Another Tk 700 crore could be allocated for the reintegration of the returnee migrants such as creating employment opportunities and running campaigns to address various social stigmas, he added.
Moazzem said the project could be implemented in five years through a short, medium, and long-term approach.
Although the project could be implemented by various ministries, the expatriates’ welfare ministry can play the role of coordinator, he added.
Addressing the dialogue, Anisul Islam Mahmud, chairman of the parliamentary committee on expatriates’ welfare ministry, said although labour migration is one of the most important sectors for earning foreign currency, the government is not focused on this sector accordingly.
“More investment should be made in skills and language training of aspirant migrant workers. A properly qualified migrant worker with skills certificates can earn double what a less-skilled worker earns,” he added.
Addressing as chief guest, Deputy Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shamsul Haque Tuku said the continuation of the present government is crucial for the implementation of such proposals.
“Currently, the government is providing incentives for migrant workers at different stages. The country should make the most out of its workforce as it is now undergoing a demographic dividend,” he added.
Moderating the dialogue, the Caucus Chairperson Shameem Haider Patwary said the focus should be placed on areas like skills and language training, governance, and information technology, along with increasing the budgetary allocation for migrant workers.
He also stressed that an inter-ministerial body should be formed to address various labour migration-related challenges.