In a step intended to create more jobs for locals and help them grasp techincal know-how, Bangladeshi authorities have decided to bar all foreign nationals, including Indians, from working in the country for the next five years.

"If any industry desires to transfer technical know-how to the local people, five years is enough for the task," a Board of Investment director, who was not named, told the Daily Star newspaper.

As a least developed and over populated country, he said, Bangladesh was not able to accommodate unskilled work force in different industries.

The officials said the BOI would also not allow any ordinary workforce from abroad to ensure more jobs to the locals in industries fully owned by foreign nationals or joint venture companies.

The decisions were taken after a taskforce recently identified that a number of foreign nationals working in Bangladesh hid their actual income to evade government revenue prompting BOI to scrap work permits of 25 foreign nationals.

As part of the tightened policy, the BOI has barred foreign nationals whose income is shown below $500 a month.