IT enlightened youths to take country forward, says PM

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina said Wednesday young generation enlightened with computer and technological education and knowledge would take forward Bangladesh towards prosperity, reports BSS.

She said this while inaugurating the four-day Digital World-2014, a mega exposition of IT (information technology) innovations and services, at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city.

The PM announced that the government had taken steps for connecting Bangladesh with the second submarine cable for uninterrupted and reliable internet connectivity of the country.

Every school will have a multimedia classroom and computer lab and an IT park will be set up in every divisional headquarters to boost up new generation with the IT knowledge, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said her government had envisaged boosting annual export earnings to US$ 5.0 billion from software and IT service sector. To achieve the target, she said the private and public sectors should work together.

She expressed the hope that the Digital World-2014 would introduce the new innovations and services to the people which would make immense contribution to building Digital Bangladesh.

ICT Division of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), national trade body for Software & IT Enabled Services have jointly organised this mega exposition and conference 'Digital World 2014'.

The objectives of the Digital World 2014 are: Showcasing achievements of Bangladesh in ICT and creating platform for free-flow of ICT-related ideas where global ICT think-tanks share their thoughts resulting in enriching Bangladesh's knowledge and guiding toward achieving Vision 2021.

Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddique presided over the function. State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, acting secretary of the ministry Kamal Uddin Ahmed, president of BASIS Shameem Ahsan and chief project officer of Digital World-2014 Russell T Ahmed spoke, among others, on the occasion.

The PM said the Digital World-2014 would expedite the Bangladesh's journey for building a Digital Bangladesh. She said the Awami League government in 1996 had taken the initiative first for promotion of information technology in the country.

Pointing out the achievements of the country in IT sector during her government, the Prime Minister said every citizen of the country including rural people was now enjoying the benefit of information technology.

Sheikh Hasina said the telecommunications act had been modernised and made time-befitting. The service had been brought under accountability.

Digital World 2014 also aimed at learning from its global peers and providing a forum for free flow of ideas and concepts enriched in current thoughts on ICT for development.

Around 200 exhibitors from Bangladesh and abroad including industry leaders, academics, investors and multinational software vendors, representatives of ICT companies, international ICT associations, international development agencies, local software development firms are taking part in the event.