Dhaka, Mar 2 (UNB)-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday unveiled an ambitious digitization plan for building Bangladesh as a country fully furnished with modern telecommunications systems for faster delivery of services to the people ensuring good governance from grassroots to central levels.
Under the mega-scheme ‘Digital Bangladesh: Plan of Connecting People’, all Union Parishads will be linked with fibre-optic network, upazilas will get Community e-Centre, and hospitals and schools get computer, web-cam and internet.
Already, 100 Union Parishads have been selected for giving fibre-optic cable connections while another 1,000 unions will be bound with the cross-country cable network within the next one year.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of Concept Paper on ‘Digital Bangladesh: Plan of Connecting People’ at a city hotel, the Prime Minister urged the country’s scientists, technological experts and engineers to turn Bangladesh self-sufficient in using technologies rather than depending on foreign countries and agencies.
Pushing a button of a computer, the Prime Minister opened the technical part of the agenda, aimed at breaking the digital divide between the advanced world and a developing country like Bangladesh.
To introduce modern and faster communications network in the sleepy rural Bangladesh, she said, the government will bring offices of all Union Parishads under fibre-optic network as part of the recipe for boarding the entire country on the information superhighway.
The Prime Minister further disclosed that Community e-Center will be set up in all upazilas of the country. Already, five upazilas have got Community e-Center and 128 upazilas computer labs.
She said in line with government’s commitment to provide quality health services to the mass people, the government will give computers, web-cam and internet facilities to all hospitals of the country.
Besides, e-center for Rural Community will be set up at 8,500 post offices of the country to ensure proper management of the postal services.
Moreover, the government is making arrangement to provide videoconferencing facility between Prime Minister’s office and the cabinet division, deputy commissioners of 64 districts and 7 divisional headquarters.
The government is also constructing necessary infrastructures to set up Hi-tech Park in Gazipur and install country’s own satellite to strengthen local telecommunications system, she informed her audience.
The Prime Minister said it is not possible to implement all the development programmes by the government alone and urged all concerned to help the government turn Bangladesh into a digital, modern country by 2021.
“I strongly hope joint ventures under public-private partnerships will fulfill our dream of building a digital Bangladesh,” she said.
Hasina mentioned that the ICT Policy 2009 has already been approved and the ICT ACT 2009 formulated, which will expedite the country’s ICT industry’s growth and joint efforts of public and private sectors.
The Prime Minister said some 1,500 laptops have been distributed to various educational institutions while computer labs equipped with internet facilities will be set up gradually at every educational institution.
“Our children are working successfully in various international institutions. If they are given necessary facilities, they will make tremendous contribution to the effort for turning Bangladesh into a technology-based modern country,” she told the function.
Hasina further said the government is going to implement national service programme in line with its election pledge to give job to one educated member of every family in the country.
She said digital Bangladesh means mobilizing everyone of the country in the national development process and for this local government has to be strengthened.
Hasina said upazila elections have already been held and elections in city corporations, pourasobhas and union parishads will be held soon.
Posts and Telecommunications Ministry arranged the function with its Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju in the chair. International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Toure addressed the function as special guest.
Prime Minister’s son, eminent computer scientist Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, presented the theme paper of the function presenting and suggesting the priority tasks to turn Bangladesh into a true digital country.
Posts and Telecommunications Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose and BTRC Chairman Maj. Gen. (rtd) Zia Ahmed also addressed the function. A video documentary was also presented at the function sowing the dream Bangladesh of 2021-the year when the golden jubilee of national independence will be celebrated.
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