A total of 4.43 lakh migrant workers returned to the country in between April, 2020 to May, 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad told this in parliament on Wednesday responding to a tabled question from Awami League MP Mamunur Rashid Kiran.

Read more: ‘Bangladeshi migrant workers’ being prepared for post-pandemic labour market’

He said that the government has taken various steps for the socio-economic rehabilitation of the migrant workers who returned to the country.

The minister said that under the government's declared incentive package, Tk 429.59 crore was given to 15,706 as rehabilitation loan. In addition, 52,074 migrant workers were given Tk 1,106 crore as loan with low interest rate for going abroad again.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumdar told parliament that as of January 8, the government food warehouse has 18.39 lakh metric tonnes of food grains.

Responding to a question of AL MP Ali Azam, the food minister said of the total food grains, there are 3.68 lakh metric tonnes of wheat and 14.70 lakh metric tonnes of rice and 1,381 tonnes of paddy.

Read more: ‘Incentive still inaccessible for most migrant workers’

He said the government has a target of importing 10 lakh metric tonnes of rice in the current financial year. 

Of these, the government has already taken measures to import 3.77 lakh metric tonnes of rice from India, Vietnam and Myanmar under G2G system.