DHAKA : The government is set to launch the 'Probashi Card' (Expatriate Card) on a pilot basis in the second week of next month, with the state-owned Janata Bank issuing the Probashi Debit Card in the first phase.

The decision was taken at a meeting on the Probashi Card programme chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Tejgaon here today, Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Shadhin told reporters.

"The Probashi Card will be introduced on a pilot basis in the second week of next month. In the first phase, the state-owned Janata Bank will issue the Probashi Debit Card," he said.

The meeting was informed that the government aims to distribute 50,000 Probashi Cards by December this year and 200,000 cards by June next year.

Shadhin said all Probashi Card-related activities would be carried out through the Probashi Kallyan Bank in the second phase.

The card, he said, is designed to provide a wide range of special facilities for Bangladeshi expatriates with the objective of enhancing their social status and empowerment, offering financial incentives and ensuring international payment and banking services through a dual-currency card.

Shadhin said the introduction of the Probashi Card is one of the government's election pledges. As part of those commitments, the government has already begun implementing the Family Card, Farmer Card and Sports Card programmes, while the Probashi Card initiative is now being rolled out on a pilot basis.

The deputy press secretary said cardholders will enjoy a range of benefits, including complimentary airport lounge access at home and abroad, expedited immigration services through dedicated booths, complimentary meet-and-greet services at international airports, discounts on airline tickets and hotel bookings and vehicle booking facilities at home and abroad at fair prices. Signature Card holders will also receive airport pick-up and drop-off services.

Other facilities include dedicated service booths for expatriates at government hospitals, discounts at private hospitals, free transportation of the bodies of deceased cardholders, rehabilitation support for returning expatriates, insurance coverage, priority in land registration, mutation, utility services, licensing and foreign investment, remittance reward points, credit scoring and loan facilities, direct money transfers through the card, simplified financial transactions, and priority services for National Identity cards, passports and consular services, alongside other banking and government services.

The Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to ensure that Bangladeshis living across the world are brought under the coverage of the Probashi Card programme, Shadhin said.

The Prime Minister, he said, also instructed the authorities concerned to modernise and update the National Skills Development Authority in line with present-day requirements.

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, State Minister Md Nurul Hoque, Prime Minister's advisers Mahdi Amin and Rehan Asif Asad, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Md Mokhtar Ahmed, Prime Minister's Special Assistant Dr Md Shakirul Islam Khan and Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) Director General Jamil Ahmed, among others, attended the meeting.