10,000 workers can go to Italy each year

There is an opportunity for 10,000 workers to go to Italy legally each year, which, including family members, comes to about 12,000, said State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mr. Mir Shahe Alam.

Italy’s Ambassador to Bangladesh, Mr. Antonio Alessandro, met with Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan at his secretariat office on Monday (7 September). State Minister Mr. Mir Shahe Alam and Secretary Mr. Shahidul Hasan were present at the meeting.

The State Minister and the Ambassador later spoke with journalists. The State Minister said there are a large number of illegal migrants in Italy, and that around 60-70 percent of the estimated 250,000 Bangladeshis in Italy are from the Shariatpur and Madaripur regions. To reduce the risks of going to Italy illegally by sea, a proposal has been made to hold joint workshops with local administration and elected representatives in the Shariatpur, Madaripur, and Faridpur regions.

The State Minister said there was no discussion on regularizing those already staying illegally, and that the Home Ministry will take action regarding those going illegally through brokers.

On recruiting workers for Malaysia, he said a request has been made to the Malaysian High Commissioner to take 200,000 workers.

The State Minister said Italy has agreed to work with Bangladesh using the model of Milan city, which has worked on reducing food waste and food security since 2015, and Khulna City Corporation has been chosen for this in line with Italy’s approach.

The State Minister said the two countries agreed at the meeting to increase cooperation in enhancing the skills of Bangladeshi workers, language training, and environmental management.

Bangladeshi architects have been invited for training in Italy to enhance their skills; once a specific list is sent, city corporation mayors and architects will be sent on this visit. As part of skilled manpower export, Italy will send representatives to teach the Italian language to Bangladeshi workers and trainers, with the training to be provided through one of the country’s institutes.

The Ambassador told journalists, “We discussed trade, migration, and friendly relations (twinning) between cities of the two countries. Although this was a courtesy visit, we had a productive discussion on how we can work together to further strengthen relations between Italy and Bangladesh. The Ministry of Local Government is naturally very important, so Italy is always keen to meet with such ministries and to create and encourage new areas of cooperation.”