“We’re creating scope so that they (expatriates) can invest in the economic zones,” she said while addressing a programme after laying the foundation stone of the Chancery building of Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah on its own land.
The Prime Minister said the expatriates can deposit their earned money in Prabashi Kalyan Bank from where they can provide their family expenditures.
"At the same time they can invest a portion of the deposited money in the economic zones,” she said adding that now the government is building 100 economic zones across the country for local and foreign investment," she said.
Mentioning the huge contributions of the expatriates to the development of Bangladesh by sending remittances, Sheikh Hasina said the expatriates are facing various problems in foreign lands and it's the duty of the government to resolve the problems.
She urged the expatriates to create awareness among the overseas jobseekers so that they don’t go to the middlemen for sending them abroad.
The Prime Minister suggested the overseas jobseekers to get proper training from the government’s training centres before going abroad so that they don’t face problem in foreign lands.
She said now the world considers Bangladesh a role model for the development. “Today the development is visible to all since we're in power for nearly last ten years.”
Talking about the corruption allegation brought by the World Bank against her family members, the Prime Minister said she threw challenge to the World Bank to prove the allegation, but they failed. The Canadian Federal Court also dismissed the allegation as false, she said.
“I am daughter of the Father of the Nation, I am not governing the country for making own fortune,” she said adding that she is in the power to improve the fate of the people.
Without mentioning the name of Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, Sheikh Hasina came down heavily on him for his role behind the withdrawal of the World Bank’s finance to the Padma Bridge project.
She said it is very unfortunate that a person of Bangladesh hatched conspiracy to stop the finance only for the post of managing director of a bank.
“What can be more unfortunate than this? They don’t have affection for the country and the people,” she said adding that the persons who charge high interest providing loan to the poor don’t have any kindness and affection.
Sheikh Hasina urged the Bangladeshi expatriates to uphold the country’s image in a foreign country by abiding by local rules and regulations.
About her visit, Sheikh Hasina said she came to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of its King and custodian of the holy mosques.
Nothing that she had good discussions with the King and the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister said Saudi Arabia has shown interest for investing massively in Bangladesh.