The government is set to make insurance scheme mandatory for all the outbound workers by January with life and non-life facilities, sources said.
Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) is now reviewing the draft of a proposal, made in this regard by Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA).
Introduction of the insurance scheme is now at final stage, and it is now waiting only for opinions of the migration sector stakeholders, said a senior official at the ministry.
There will be different types of products valuing from Tk 0.2 million to Tk 1.0 million, considering the workers' income and choice. The insurance scheme will be made mandatory for all the outbound workers to help them many ways at home and in their job destination countries.
Migrant rights activists hailed the government's move, and said the mechanism of the scheme should be made easier to avail its benefits, as the workers are residing abroad.
People often lose their money by investing in insurance schemes because of various unethical practices by a section of companies. So before introducing it the ministry has to be confirmed that the workers' money will not be lost, they also said.
"We will call a meeting of the stakeholders within a week to incorporate final opinions into the draft to submit to IDRA," said MoEWOE additional secretary Mohammad Azharul Huq.
Insurance will be made mandatory for all the outbound workers. They will open the scheme before migrating to their job destination country, he further said.
"We are working with a target of connecting 1.0 million workers yearly, who are going abroad."
The government will try to keep the premium at a rational level, so that it does not bring any negative impact on the migration cost, Mr Huq also said.
When asked, he said they are yet to decide how to provide necessary services to the workers in opening their insurance policy. In this case, the ministry or the authorised insurance companies can give the related services. The recruiting agencies can also provide the services during visa processing.
The workers will receive both life and non-life facilities, as the migrant workers face different types of risk while working aboard. Sometimes they lose jobs, fall sick, face accident or get trapped by dishonest manpower agents.
Insurance facility will help them to face such challenges. After death, their families will be benefitted through the scheme, he added.
C R Abrar, executive director of Refugee and Migratory Research Movements Unit (RMRRU), said it is a good initiative of the ministry. It will help protect the migrant workers.
But it is a complex issue, as the workers are residing abroad. The mechanism should be taken in such a way, so that the workers get benefits easily at their job destination countries.
He suggested engaging several insurance companies, so that the workers' hard-earned money remains risk-free.
"The scheme should not be made mandatory for the workers, as they also have other choices," he opined.
Mr Abrar added that without taking opinions from the civil society members and migrant rights activists the ministry should not finalise the draft of insurance scheme, as it is a matter of the workers' interests.
According to the data of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), so far 10 million Bangladeshi workers secured job abroad since 1976. Of the total, nearly 0.7 million are women workers.
