By Faiza Tehseen ISLAMABAD, Feb. 11 (INP-WealthPK): The Ministry of Human Resource Development in collaboration with other partner organisations has taken a number of steps for socioeconomic reintegration of the over 60,000 overseas Pakistanis, who returned home after they lost jobs in countries of their employment during the Covid-19 pandemic. The year 2020 proved a hard one as Covid-19 halted the economic activities around the globe. Consequently, many migrant workers returned to their countries of origin. A sizeable number of Pakistani workforce also returned home from the Gulf countries in the wake of the pandemic. Start Finder, which is the first reintegration profile of many training programmes in Pakistan executed with the assistance of German Development Agency GIZ, helps the returning immigratns to resettle in their countries of origin,  become a part of economic cycle, and reshape their future. Another programme to resettle migrants has been launched by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, commissioned by the Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The initiative titled ‘returning new opportunities’ provides socioeconomic and psychological support to the returning migrant workers. The beneficiaries of this programme get free training, learn skills, get financial aid or their trade-related tool-kits, free assistance, free counselling and regular follow-ups. People who got training under this programme (if they wish) are also assisted to settle or resettle in other countries. Under the program, immigrant workers were presented with trade-specific tool-kits to help them start sustained self-employment. These migrants have successfully completed comprehensive business development training from PGFRC (Pakistan-German Facilitation & Reintegration Centre), which was established in 1963 by GIZ. This program is funded by the German ministry for economic cooperation and development. It is worth mentioning here that the program is offered to citizens other than the migrants to find better jobs or to start a sustainable business. This program has been designed in a way to support the returned migrants in multiple traits like electrician, plumber, carpenter, mason, photographer and culinary arts along with in-kind support intervention. The trainees are given instructions on multipal aspects like information on living conditions in Pakistan, including physio-social health system, advice on training and skills development, job market trends and opportunities, job finding, getting microfinance and loans, enterpreneurship and start-up support, technical and vocational training. Meanwhile, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda), the National Youth Development Framework (NYDF), the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resources Development, Overseas Pakistanis Foundation and Bureau of Emmigration & Overseas Employment have also been helping the returnees in recovery of their dues, and providing them with loans to start their own businesses. Ehsaas cash transfers and Ehsaas school fee also helped the migrant workers continue sending their children to schools. Besides, there are plans to set up an informal labour registry through Employees Old Age Benefit Institution (EOBI) for the migrant workers. The Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development also helped 200 Pakistanis return home by providing them free air tickets. The following flow chart represents the return & reintegration policy of government for returning migrant workers. Source: https://beoe.gov.pk/files/statistics/yearly-reports/2020/2020-full.pdf