PM Direct Officials To Provide ICT Services In Rural Communities

"Technology never comes to a stop. It's changing every now and then. So, we'll have to move ahead keeping abreast of it," she said in the second meeting of the Digital Bangladesh Taskforce at her Tejgaon office here.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said the Prime Minister put emphasis on moving the country forward in line with global technological advancement. Access of the people to all public services should be ensured through using the technology and ICT, she said.

The Prime Minister said that the task force was formed five years back with the main objective of building a Digital Bangladesh. The government has moved a lot in this regard, she said.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, LGRD Minister Engineer Khondakar Mosharraf Hossain, Law Minister Anisul Haq, Planning Minister AHM Mostafa Kamal, PM's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy, State Minister of ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and State Minister for Post and Telecommunication Advocate Tarana Halim, among others, were present.

ICT Secretary Shyam Sundor Shikdar gave a presentation on the progress of the ICT programs in different sectors. Pointing out the country's massive progress in using technology and ICT, she said the use of ICT has reduced corruption to a great extent as well as saving cost and time of the people making their life easy. At the beginning of the meeting, the prime minister recalled the memory of the Father of the Nation saying the great leader was assassinated in this month in 1975 along with most of his family members. She said Bangabandhu passed his whole life with dream for economic emancipation of the people of Bangladesh, she said. Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu was assassinated at a time when he embarked upon a journey for rebuilding the war ravaged country. She returned home in 1981 with a heavy heart with the aim to complete the unfinished work of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina said adding that "We're working to that end." Sheikh Hasina said that when the Digital Bangladesh Taskforce was formed five years ago, many people discouraged her government, but she was steadfast in her decision.

Recalling her early days with the desktop computer and introduction with the information technology, the Prime Minister said, it was her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who first gave her firsthand knowledge of the computer. She also mentioned that after assuming office in 1996, her government for the first time withdrew duty on computers making it available for the common people to flourish use of ICT.

In this connection, she criticized the rulers who denied connecting Bangladesh with submarine cable free of cost in early nineties, saying that for this reason the country had lagged behind in getting the services of the ICT. Highlighting various usage of the ICT services, Sheikh Hasina said now the rural people are more aware of the use of ICTs as they use ICTs in healthcare services, admission in various academic institutions, payments of various utility bills, sending and receiving of money. She also said that work is underway to digitize some 8,000 postal offices in phases across the country.

The meeting discussed the progress of the implementation of the decisions taken for various ministries and departments in the first meeting of the task-force.

It was told that out of 16 decisions taken in the last meeting, seven decisions were executed while eight remain under implementation. One of the decisions could not be implemented although initiatives were taken.