Digital Bangladesh by 2021, reaffirms PM

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina vowed afresh on Sunday to establish Digital Bangladesh by 2021 saying that the country has already achieved much progress to that end, report agencies.

In this connection the PM directed the officials concerned of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Division to expedite work on launching the country's first satellite into the space.

The PM was delivering her introductory speech at a meeting with senior officials of the ICT Division at Agargaon in the city.

Sheikh Hasina said her government wanted to launch the country's own satellite by the stipulated time.

The PM said that the Awami League-led government reorganised posts and telecommunications sector alongside other sectors of the country.

Specific work plans were undertaken to build digital Bangladesh overcoming the deadlock created by BNP-Jamaat, she said.

As part of the move, she said, her government formed a single Ministry by unifying the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

Besides, Bangladesh's election as the council member of the International Telecommunications Union in 2010 created an opportunity for the country to play a strong role in telecommunications and ICT sectors, she said.

The PM said that the government in the last six years brought about massive changes in various sectors of the country and taken government services to the doorsteps of the common people through using ICTs.

As a result, corruption significantly came down as well as transparency and accountability was ensured in public organisations, she said.

About the ongoing projects of setting up hi-tech parks in Jessore and Kaliakoir, the Prime Minister stressed expediting work on the projects and opined that such hi-tech parks could also be set up in all divisional headquarters and big towns of the country.

She mentioned that six mobile operators were currently working in Bangladesh while nearly 123.0 million SIMs were being used by the people, very rare in the world.

Over 5,000 digital centres had been set up across the country while over 8,500 post offices were being transformed into post e-centres to provide services electronically.

Sheikh Hasina said 3G internet service had been introduced in the country and the government had a plan to launch 4G internet services soon.

About optical fibre connection, the Prime Minister said the government has completed setting up of one thousand 450 kilometre optical fibre cable while works on more 11000 kilometres would be completed by June, 30 2016.

Highlighting various services, including education line, tele-health, Krishibid jiggasha, utility bills payment, mobile remittance service and railway ticket sales which are now being given electronically, she said, such services are playing a role in developing the standard of life.

The Prime Minister urged all to work hard and serve the nation together to build a middle-income country by the year 2021 and a developed country by the year 2041 by implementing ongoing development programmes.

Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated IT Computer labs at six educational institutions of Gopalganj talking to Principal of the Gopalganj Ideal Commerce College through video conference.

State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Polok delivered the welcome address while its Secretary Shyam Sundar Shikder briefed the meeting on overall activities of the division.