BB employees banned from overseas trips

Bangladesh Bank officials and employees will not be able to make any kind of foreign trips from now on except for some emergency purposes as part of the central bank's efforts to prevent the foreign currency reserves from sliding further. 

The central bank issued a circular to this effect yesterday.

According to the notice, the officials and employees will refrain from participating in all types of exposure visits, study tours, workshops and seminars abroad under the partial or full finance of the BB.

They can, however, make foreign tours only for medical and hajj purposes. Besides, they will be able to go abroad to take part in training with full funding from foreign organisations, according to the notice.

The BB also cancelled all approval already extended to its officials and employees for foreign trips, except for those related to hajj and medical purposes and training fully funded by organisers.

In order to ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves, the government on May 11 decided to stop foreign trips of its officials and postponed the implementation of less important projects that require imports.

On May 16, the Finance Division said the employees of autonomous, state-owned, semi-government organisations and state-owned banks and financial institutions can't go on overseas trips.

Reserves fell to $41.92 billion last week owing to soaring imports. It was $46.15 billion on December 31.