, April 5 -- Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury on Sunday told Parliament that more than 1.5 crore expatriate Bangladeshis are now working in 176 foreign countries across the world.

"Currently, more than 15 million Bangladeshis are working in 176 countries around the world," he said while responding to a tabled question from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Md Amir Hamza (Kushtia-3).

The minister said the current government is committed to ensuring the dignity, rights and welfare of all these expatriate Bangladeshis.

During the previous fascist government, the welfare of the expatriates was grossly neglected, he said.

"After the current government took office, various steps have been taken ...