Encourage skilled NRBs to send remittances

Skilled expatriate workers must be encouraged to send remittances to the country as most of the remittances come from unskilled workers, speakers at a roundtable said yesterday.
They also said that remittances sent by Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) are now the prime mover of the country's economy as the annual remittances stand at around 10 billion US dollars.
Bangladesh Freedom Foundation (BFF) organised the roundtable titled 'Resident Bangladeshi-NRB cooperation in social development: Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa)-Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) experience' at the National Press Club in the city.
The speakers called on the resident and non-resident Bangladeshis to work together in order to help lift the nation out of poverty and deprivation.
Bapa Chairman Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said remittances would increase to a greater extent if the skilled expatriates start sending their remittances.
Of the $ 10 billion annual remittances, $6 billion come through official channels, he said, adding that most of the amount come from unskilled expatriates.
Presenting a keynote paper, Prof Nazrul Islam of BEN said NRBs are cooperating with resident Bangladeshis in many ways such as donor mode, consultant mode, commercial/investor mode and voluntary, participatory and self-reliant mode.
Prof Imtiaz Ahmed of Dhaka University (DU) said Diaspora banks can be set up to encourage the skilled expatriates to contribute to the national economy.
BFF Executive Director Dr Safi Rahman Khan, D.Net Executive Director Dr Ananya Raihan, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (Bela) Director Syeda Rizwana Hasan and The Hunger Project Country Director Dr Badiul Alam Muzumder also spoke at the roundtable.