We can  retain $6b using our own workforce: Home Minister

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said, if we can use our own skilled manpower in the ready-made garments (RMG) industry, we can retain at least $6 billion currently being earned by foreign workers, read a press statement. 

"Prepare a policy so that foreigners cannot take our dollars," he said yesterday, at a seminar organised by the Department of Textile Engineering of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) at the IEB Council Hall.

Speaking as chief guest, the minister also said, "You will decide whether foreign workers are needed or not while the Ministry of Home Affairs checks whether foreign workers are working properly and whether they are overstaying or not."

Awami League's science and technology affairs secretary and former IEB president, Eng Md Abdus Sabur, said, "If our workers in the industry get up-to-date training, dependence on foreign countries will go down."

He also recommended that taxing foreign workers will increase the country's income.

Jamalpur-5 lawmaker and textile engineer Md Mozaffar Hassan said, "Our textile and clothing industry is dominated by workers from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. They are often working more than they are permitted to, while textile engineers are not getting jobs in factories."

IEB President, Eng Md Nurul Huda, Bangladesh University of Textiles Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eng MA Kasem, IEB Vice-President Eng Md Nuruzzaman, IEB's TED IEB Founder, Chairman Eng AKM Nurul Islam, President of ITET Eng Md Sofikur Rahman, CIP and TED's newly ex-chairman, Eng SM Sirajul Islam, also spoke at the event.

IEB General Secretary Eng Shahadat Hossain Shiblu gave the welcome speech at the seminar chaired by Eng Md Masudur Rahman.