MoUs to promote e-commerce in rural areas signed

The UNDP-supported Access to Information (A2I) Programme of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with eight privately-owned organisations to promote e-commerce in rural areas in the country.
The singing ceremony was held at the PMO in the city on Thursday, reports BSS.
Under the MoUs, initially, e-commerce services will be available from 200 Union Information Service Centres (UISCs). Remaining UISCs, Pourashabha Information Services Centre, City Corporation Information and Services will be brought under e-commerce in phases.
Among others, State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak and Project Director of A2I Programme Kabir Bin Anwar were present at the MoU signing ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Palak said rural people should be included in the mainstream of development to make Bangladesh a middle income country by 2021.
To achieve the target, the present government was working to bring rural people under information networks through introducing technology-based services, he added.
Mr Palak said UISCs have been set up at 4,516 Union Parishads across the country to take IT services to the doorsteps of rural people.
He expressed the hope that the introduction of e-commerce through UISCs would get popularity among the rural people and it would help improve their living standard.