FM rues delay in issuing passports to NRBs
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Saturday criticised unusual delay in issuing passports to expatriate Bangladeshi citizens.
‘The ministry sends biometric data of non-resident Bangladeshis after getting the data from Bangladesh embassies abroad to the home ministry for verification and issuance of passports,’ he said at a function organised by Centre for Non-Resident Bangladeshis in the capital.
‘I do not understand why it takes so much time to issue the passports as the renewal of old passports is a simple matter,’ the minister said.
Momen said, ‘The government has taken steps for sending skilled Bangladesh youths abroad for job and for making the unskilled Bangladeshis skilled abroad.’
Japanese ambassador in Dhaka Ito Naoki said, ‘Japan is ready to receive increasing number of skilled Bangladeshi young people for jobs.’
Shekil Chowdhury, chairman of the centre, alleged that expatriate Bangladeshi nationals were suffering for months due to unusual long delay, in many cases for months, in getting their passports renewed.
He urged the government for taking urgent measures for ensuring equivalence of degrees obtained from foreign universities by Bangladesh citizens.
Shekil also stressed the need for taking measures to control Bangladeshi middle-men who were luring people from abroad to fall in their traps for trafficking them to different countries.
Centre for Non-Resident Bangladeshis presented at the function awards to Dutch-Bangla Bank, Green Delta Insurance Company, Pubali Bank, Mercantile Bank, Islami Bank Bangladesh, Agrani Bank, Sonali Bank, Janata Bank, South East Bank, Bank Asia, Pubali Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, Trust Bank and NovoAir airlines for services extended to non-resident Bangladeshis abroad.
Mashiur Rahman, economic affairs adviser to the prime minister, Brigadier General Saidul Islam, director general of National Identity Registration wing of the Election Commission, Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, a former chairman of National Board of Revenue also spoke on the occasion.
News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net
