Govt trying to find ways for expats to invest in Bangladesh: minister

Expatriates' Welfare Minister Imran Ahmad today said the government is trying to find ways for expatriate Bangladeshis to invest in the country.

"We are trying to work on a system so that they can have an investment opportunity…," he said.

The minister was addressing a discussion on the award-giving ceremony of "Migration Media Award-2019" at Brac Centre Inn in the capital.

Handing over crests to the winners as chief guest, the minister said media along with NGOs and CSOs are the main driving force by whom the government will be able to make people aware about migration.

He urged journalists to present information and news with more responsibility and cover more news on migration.

This year, 13 journalists and one media organisation received the "Migration Media Award" for their contribution through reporting in 2019 in the migration sector, said a press release of Brac.

The winning journalists are: Muhammad Owasim Uddin Bhuyan, Md Mohiuddin, Arafat Ara, Sabina Yasmin, Salahuddin Ahmed, Ashikur Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Mansura Hossain, Md Kamruzzaman, Saddif Sohrab, Abu Taher Md Turab, Faruk Munir, and Emdad Ullah. Online news portal Probash Kotha was awarded as the media organisation.

Early this year, journalists submitted their reports which were published in 2019.

A jury evaluated the reports and selected the 13 journalists under five categories-- national newspaper, local newspaper, national television, radio, and online news portal.

Brac initiated the award in 2015 and has been arranged annually with support of "Prottasha" project since 2017, said the release.

The project is being implemented by International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in partnership with Brac, funded by European Union and led by Bangladesh government.

IOM Bangladesh Chief of Mission Giorgi Gigauri attended the ceremony virtually while Brac Executive Director Asif Saleh, and Head of Cooperation of European Union Delegation to Bangladesh Maurizio Cian, among others, addressed the event.