Over 400,000 RMG workers will draw salary through bKash

As many as 70,000 readymade garment factory workers will receive salary in their bKash accounts as seven more firms have availed the mobile phone-based digital payroll solution.

With the inclusion of the seven companies, the number of such firms in Bangladesh’s export-oriented apparel sector stands at 400, with more than 400,000 workers.

The seven firms are AJ Group, Purbani Group, Masihata Group, Sonia Group, TEAM Group, Aman Group and Al-Muslim Group.

The digital salary disbursement solution of bKash for the seven firms has been launched at an inauguration ceremony at a hotel in Dhaka recently, the mobile financial service provider said in a statement on Saturday.

bKash CEO Kamal Qadir, Chief Commercial Officer Mizanur Rashid, AJ Grouo Chairman and Managing Director Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, Purbani Group MD Shafiqul Islam, Masihata Group MD Khaled Hossain Mahboob, Sonia Group Chairman Mostafa Kamal Shaheen, TEAM Group Chief Financial Officer Ezaz Ahmed, Aman Group Executive Director Tanvir Hasan Majumder, and Al-Muslim Group ED Md Kausar Mia, among others, attended the ceremony.

Since the beginning of salary disbursement through bKash in 2015, the organisations using the MFS have been able to distribute salaries “more easily and at a lower cost than the traditional method”, speakers said at the event.

Its 230,000 agents across the country and “sophisticated technological services” have made garment workers “more capable and independent in using their money”, the statement said.

It also said training workshops were being organised for workers at each organisation so that they can withdraw their salary through bKash without any hassle.

“Digital Salary Disbursement Solution of bKash is believed to play an active role in the implementation of Digital Bangladesh through the empowerment of women in larger sense, as well as financial inclusion of the unbanked population.”