Remittance inflow started returning to pre-Covid state: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today told the parliament that the remittance inflow to the country has started to return to the normal trend as it was in pre-Covid times.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Leader of the House, said this while replying to a query by Jatiya Party lawmaker Rustum Ali Faraji.

The inflow of remittance declined slightly to US$ 17.30 billion in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, from July 2021 to April 2022, which is 16.25 percent less compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year, the PM said.

The average inflow of remittance was US$ 13.42 billion in the first 10 months of 2019-20, 2018-2019 and 2017-2018 fiscals respectively, she also said.

The amount of remittance received in the first ten months of the current fiscal year is 28.91 percent higher than the average inflow of remittance received in the same period in the three fiscal years in pre-Covid times, she added.

"So, it can be said that the inflow of remittance has not dipped, rather started returning to the normal trend of the pre-Covid period," PM Hasina added.

UNIVERSAL PENSION SCHEME: FORMING OF NEW LAW, AUTHORITY UNDERWAY

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today also told the parliament that the enactment of a law related to the universal pension scheme and formation of an authority under the law are currently under process.

She said this in reply to a query from ruling Awami League lawmaker Md Mamunur Rashid Kiron from Noakhali-3.

In a scripted answer, PM Hasina said the government has taken the initiative towards incorporating the universal pension scheme with a view to bring the elderly people of the country under a sustainable and organised social safety structure and ensure them financial security.