Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Thursday announced a comprehensive suite of initiatives aimed at expanding overseas employment, protecting migrant workers, and boosting foreign exchange reserves.

Chief among these is the launch of a dedicated 'Probashi Card' and the continuation of the 2.5 percent cash incentive on formal remittances for the fiscal year 2026-27 (FY27).

Placing the proposed historic BDT 9.38 lakh crore national budget in the National Parliament, the Finance Minister emphasized that the government is giving utmost priority to the welfare of expatriate Bangladeshis and overseas employment.

While paying tribute to Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman for initiating Bangladesh's first-ever manpower export programme, Khosru outlined aggressive measures to diversify labor markets.

Digital Welfare and the 'Probashi Card'

The newly proposed 'Probashi Card' is set to act as a digital lifeline for migrant workers.

The Finance Minister detailed that the card will digitally store workers' personal data, specialized skills, and explicit employment details.

"The card will be linked to banking payment gateways to facilitate faster, safer and more efficient remittance transfers," Amir Khosru stated.

He added that the platform will simultaneously grant workers seamless access to expatriate welfare services, insurance coverage, critical banking facilities, and emergency support.

To further lower the barriers to migration, the government plans to offer easier access to migration loans, arrange risk-free migration pathways, and institute stringent governance across migration management.

Market Expansion, Reopening, and the Skill Verification Programme

The Minister revealed that Bangladesh has actively initiated efforts to sign bilateral labor agreements with a host of new destinations, including Russia, Portugal, Romania, Brazil, Greece, Serbia, and North Macedonia.

Concurrently, high-level diplomatic efforts are underway to fully reopen vital traditional labor markets in Malaysia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.

To protect and elevate the credibility of Bangladeshi human resources abroad, the government will introduce a rigid Skill Verification Programme.

Under this initiative, workers' skills, field experience, and certifications will be thoroughly verified through a centralized 'Smart Skill Bank' database.

Qualified personnel will be issued internationally recognized digital certificates, enabling foreign employers to recruit skilled manpower directly from Bangladesh.

Boosting Technical Education and Grassroots Training

Beginning in FY27, the government will roll out highly practical projects to bolster technical and vocational training facilities.

The administration plans to engage 7,500 domestic trainers and 1,000 foreign expert trainers across polytechnic institutes, Technical Training Centres (TTCs), and Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB) institutions.

Additionally, 1,000 native speakers and language instructors will be recruited to broaden foreign language proficiency.

The Finance Minister also announced plans to set up a specialized Foreign Language e-Learning Centre and a Migration Market Research Institute under the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.

To solidify grassroots infrastructure, capacity-building initiatives will be taken for the existing 110 TTCs across various districts and upazilas, alongside the construction of 50 brand-new TTCs in additional upazilas.

Furthermore, under the ongoing project titled "Providing Driving Training for Employment at Home and Abroad (1st Revised)," training is currently being imparted to 102,400 individuals to create a certified pool of professional drivers targeting employment opportunities in Europe, Japan, and the Middle East.

On-Site Embassy Support and Repatriation

To directly assist Bangladeshi nationals facing legal or personal distress abroad, the government will set up dedicated 'Bangladesh Support Centres' at embassies located in major destination countries.

According to Amir Khosru, these centers will provide immediate legal aid, rescue services, employment assistance, and rehabilitation support for distressed migrant workers.

The Minister also assured that the government would vastly simplify the complex repatriation process for the mortal remains of Bangladeshi workers who pass away abroad, ensuring their dignified return home.

He noted that the entire overarching migration framework has already been fully digitized via the Overseas Employment Platform (OEP).

To assist with initial migration costs, low-interest migration loans of up to BDT 10 lakh through the Probashi Kallyan Bank will continue and see further expansion.

2.5% Cash Incentive to Sustain Historic Remittance Growth

In a major fiscal move to safeguard inward remittance flows, the Finance Minister announced that the government will firmly maintain the existing 2.5 percent cash incentive on remittances sent exclusively through legal, formal channels.

Khosru highlighted that remittance inflows reached a historic milestone in March this year, when expatriate Bangladeshis channeled USD 3.75 billion through official networks—marking the highest amount ever received in a single month in the country's history.

The Finance Minister pointed out that this record-breaking remittance inflow materialized just one month after the current government assumed office, which he stated, "reflected the confidence and trust of expatriate Bangladeshis in the country's democratic administration."

"We expect this positive trend to continue in the coming years," Amir Khosru expressed optimistically, concluding that these cohesive, ongoing measures would further fortify Bangladesh's foreign exchange earnings and anchor the country's macroeconomic stability.