The government has signed a deal with a local consortium to provide Machine Readable Passports (MRP) to around six lakh Bangladeshi expatriates in Malaysia in one year.
Director General of the Department of Immigration and Passports Abdul Mabud and Syed Ahsan Habib of Data-edge-i-people Consortium signed the agreement at a city hotel on Wednesday night, according to a press release.
Under the contract, the consortium will set up eight enrolment centres in Malaysia to collect data along with photographs and fingerprints of the expatriates, which will be sent to Agargaon passport office for the preparation of the MRPs. Later on, the MRPs will be sent back to Malaysia.
The consortium will get $18 for each MRP.
Helplines will remain open for 24-hours-a-day at all the centres. An expatriate can also make an appointment over phone.
Data-edge-i-people will launch a promotional campaign so that the expatriates in Malaysia can learn about the project.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan, Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry CQK Mustaq Ahmed, Project Director Brig Gen Masud Rezwan, Malaysian High Commissioner in Dhaka Norlin Othman, Data-edge Chairman Alauddin Al-Majid, Director Noor A Alam Chowdhury and Director of Datasonic Corporation, Malaysia BC Chuah were present at the signing programme.
The government took the initiative to provide MRPs to all the Bangladeshi expatriates before the November 23, 2014 deadline, set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
As part of the move, the government decided to outsource the MRP issuance project for the huge number of expatriates staying in Malaysia, Saudia Arabia and United Arab Emirate. Sources said, there are 30-35 lakh Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia, 11-12 lakh in United Arab Emirate and 5-6 lakh in Malaysia.