Middle East war reconstruction work likely to create more jobs for Bangladeshi workers: Minister

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury today (3 September) said the demand for workers in the Middle East is expected to increase as the war-affected countries undertake reconstruction and infrastructure development.

"After the geopolitical instability and war situation in the Middle East, the demand for workers is likely to increase more in infrastructure development in the affected countries," he said in a written reply to a question from Pabna-5 MP Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas.

The minister said the government is taking various initiatives to explore new labour markets and create employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in different countries including those in the Middle East.

The minister was absent during the question-answer session and State Minister Nurul Haque Nur responded on his behalf.

Replying to a question from reserved women's seat MP Selina Sultana, the minister said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman recently visited Malaysia while the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment adviser and minister also visited the country at the end of July.

"Hopefully, the way will be paved very soon for sending Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia," he said.

In reply to a question from reserved women's seat MP Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said 985,120 Bangladeshis went abroad for employment in the last fiscal year.

Of them, 640,662 went to Saudi Arabia, 89,023 to Qatar, 75,041 to Singapore, 42,130 to the Maldives and 39,875 to Kuwait.

Lightning strikes kill 161, injure 55 this year

Meanwhile, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said 161 people were killed and 55 injured in lightning strikes in 46 districts so far this year.

He said 27 people were killed and 52 injured in landslides in four districts during the period.

The minister also said agricultural and crop losses caused by haor floods in seven districts following heavy rainfall in May amounted to Tk 2,488 crore 68 lakh 39 thousand 154.

Govt preparing 100,000 volunteers for earthquake rescue operations

Replying to a supplementary question, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief M Iqbal Hossain said the government is preparing for rescue operations following a possible earthquake and taking steps to increase public awareness.

He said the government is working to build a pool of 100,000 volunteers following the prime minister's directives.

So far, 70,000 volunteers have been prepared and are receiving training to conduct rescue operations during earthquakes and other disasters.

The government has already procured various rescue equipment and distributed them among the Bangladesh Army, Fire Service, Ansar and other agencies involved in disaster response, he said.

The government is also procuring additional equipment, while a list of disaster response and rescue equipment available with private sector organisations has been prepared to seek their assistance during emergencies.

There was a light moment in Parliament when Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad called expelled Jamaat lawmaker GM Nazrul Islam to raise a starred question.

After noticing that the MP was absent, the speaker jokingly said, "GM toh nai," prompting laughter in the House.

In his written question, GM Nazrul had sought information about the number and locations of labour courts, pending cases and government measures to expedite their disposal.

According to the written reply, the country currently has one Labour Appellate Tribunal and 14 labour courts, making a total of 15 operational courts.

As of July 31, a total of 29,927 cases were pending before these courts.