Dhaka: In the 9 months of the current financial year (July-March), the expatriate income has reached 1 thousand 707 million 42 million US dollars. Out of this, as a single district, the highest expatriate income has come through Chittagong district.
The expatriates of this district are 165 million six million US dollars. Next is Sylhet. Expatriates of Sylhet sent 99 million 79 million US dollars. Comilla district has the third highest expatriate income. The expatriate income of this district is 90 million 95 million US dollars.
On the other hand, the lowest expatriate income came from the northern districts of Lalmonirhat and Rangamati districts. This information is from Bangladesh Bank’s statistics department.
Over crores of people are working abroad. Half of these expatriates remit their income legally through banking channels. Remittances are calculated by the central bank. Apart from this almost equal amount of income comes from friends, relatives and hundi.
Expatriate income coming into the banking channel legitimately comes through dollars. Keep these dollars in the respective bank and give the equivalent amount to the relatives in the country. The dollar commercial banks keep a part and sell the rest to Bangladesh Bank. Commercial banks also exchange money through swaps, which the central bank uses as foreign currency reserves.
On the other hand, expatriate income through hundi hundi dealer representatives collect dollars abroad and send the news to their partners in the country. And the partners of the country send the same amount of money to the expatriate’s relatives. As a result, if remittances are sent to the country through hundi, even if the relatives get money, the country is deprived of foreign currency.
Depending on which district has the highest or lowest expatriate income, the expatriates count the income remitted through legal banking channels. Illegal income is excluded.
According to the data of Bangladesh Bank, the highest expatriate income comes from Comilla district outside Dhaka in the financial year 2020-21. The second highest expatriate income comes from Chittagong district. In the next two years, the highest expatriate income came to Chittagong district. The second highest expatriate income comes through Comilla. Chittagong district retains the status of the highest expatriate income this year as well.
In the 9 months of July-March, the capital Dhaka received 589 million 81 million dollars, which is more than Chittagong. But many people send remittances to Dhaka as the capital city, most of which go to different districts.
On the other hand, the lowest migrant income comes from the northern district of Lalmonirhat and the hilly township of Rangamati district. In the 9 months (July-March) of the current financial year in the two districts, the expatriate income is 1 crore 40 million and 1 crore 32 million US dollars respectively.
Bangladesh Time: 1738 hours, April 22, 2024
ZA/SIA
