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Remittance from KSA falls
FROM PAGE 3
community-level and take the opportunity of 2.5 percent cash incentive while sending money through banking channel.
The ambassador also said the embassy is working to stop “visa trading” to reduce migration cost and stressed on sending more skilled workers to Saudi Arabia to increase remittance.
“Remittance flow will increase if skilled workers are sent,” he added.
Remittance sent by Bangladeshi migrant workers is considered to be one of the key pillars of the country’s economic progress.
In last fiscal year, Bangladesh received $21.6 billion in inward remittance compared to $21.03 billion received in the previous fiscal.
In the outgoing fiscal, Saudi Arabia generated highest 17.42 percent of Bangladesh’s total inward remittance, followed by USA (16.29 percent), the UAE (14.03 percent), UK (9.62 percent), and Kuwait (7.19 percent).
Since 1976 till June this year, Bangladesh sent about 1.53 crore migrant workers abroad for employment, shows BMET data.
Of them, 55.07 lakh or 35.79 percent went to KSA, it says.
Talking to this newspaper over phone, Syed Saiful Haque, chairman of Warbe Development Foundation, said the government needs to enhance its effort to rein in unauthorised channels like hundi to increase remittance.
Remittance through formal channel will increase if gateway of hundi is stopped, he added.
Saiful also said Bangladesh government needs to send more skilled workers to Saudi Arabia and monitor whether new migrant workers there are getting promised job.
Also, the government should look into whether migrants are returning home empty-handed from Saudi Arabia, he said, stressing the need for a comprehensive database on the returnees.
Shakirul Islam, chairperson of Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program, suggested that the government may opt to increase the cash incentive from the existing 2.5 percent rate to attract more remitters to use banking channel.

12 injured
FROM PAGE 5
As the news spread, other supporters of the “state minister group” gathered nearby the hall on the campus and later clashed with the attackers. The clash continued till early yesterday.
The correspondent could not reach leaders of the rival BCL factions over the phone despite repeated attempts.
Barishal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Saiful Islam said police brought the situation under control at dawn. Additional policemen have been deployed on the campus.
Meanwhile, the university authorities have formed a five-member probe committee to investigate the incident, VC Sadequl Arefin said.
The university authority has asked all outsiders to leave the hall, the VC said.