Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday said the government will move quickly to begin work on a new Wage Board to ensure job and livelihood security for journalists
“Unless we can ensure journalists’ jobs and livelihoods, we cannot expect good journalism. The government will begin working on this issue quickly,” he said while replying to journalists at a weekly briefing on the progress of various ministries at PID here.
Regarding the government employees’ pay scale and inflation, the adviser clarified that there is no risk of an abnormal rise in market prices due to implementation of a new pay scale.
Although a new pay scale has not been introduced for a long time, the salaries of many officials and employees have already reached levels close to the proposed scale through regular annual increments, he said.
Therefore, he added, the concern that a large influx of money into the market would cause inflation to double is not correct.
Zhahed Ur Rahman said at the same time by the end of this year, Family Cards would be distributed to 41 lakh families across the country to help address inflationary pressure, directly benefiting 20 million people from marginalized communities.
Principal Information Officer Syed Abdal Ahmed, Additional Information and Broadcasting Secretary KM Abdul Wadud and Deputy Principal Information Officer Mohammed Fokhrul Islam were present at the briefing.
Zahed also said Malaysia has expressed interest in recruiting around 200,000 workers from Bangladesh within the next six months due to the Bangladesh government's continued diplomatic efforts.
Of them, 10,000 workers will have the opportunity to go completely free of charge following a special request from the Bangladesh government, he said.
He said the first group of workers being sent to Malaysia completely free of charge would travel on a special chartered flight through the government-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL).
This would set a new precedent by bringing the cost of migration down to zero, he added.
Regarding efforts to break syndicates in the labor market and increase the number of recruiting agencies, the adviser said under a decision by the Malaysian government, 25 recruiting agencies had been approved.
He said the current government took a firm diplomatic position to create new opportunities by excluding agencies linked to irregularities and individuals involved with syndicates during the previous fascist Sheikh Hasina government.
In response to the government's proposal, the Malaysian government has taken a positive decision, he said.
In addition to the 25 recruiting agencies approved by the Malaysian government, another 312 agencies have been authorized to send workers as associate recruitment agencies, he said.
As a result, a total of 338 recruiting agencies, including BOESL, will now be able to send workers transparently, he added.
The process of sending new workers is expected to begin toward the end of September, while registration of previously unregistered Bangladeshi workers currently residing in Malaysia is also underway, said Zahed.
The adviser also highlighted other development initiatives and policy decisions of the government.
To address electricity shortages in rural areas and increase power supply to industries outside Dhaka, he said, electricity consumption by Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) and Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) is being reduced, while load-shedding is being distributed evenly across the country.
Zahed said the government plans to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply within the next one and a half to two years through the commissioning of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and a new FSRU (Floating Storage and Regasification Unit).
The adviser said draft regulations prepared by the Local Government Division for establishing specific specifications and registration requirements for the operation of e-rickshaws and battery-powered rickshaws would soon be sent to the Ministry of Law for vetting.