Ensure hassle-free ICT use by common people: PM [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Ensure hassle-free ICT use by common people: PM

Local August 07, 2015

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Thursday asked the authorities concerned to make sure that the common people, including those living in rural areas, can easily avail of Information and Communications Technology services.
‘Technology never comes to an end; it is changing every time, and we will have to move ahead coping with it,’ she said.
The prime minister said this in her introductory remarks at the 2nd meeting of the ‘Digital Bangladesh Taskforce’ held at her office. Hasina is the chairperson of the ‘Digital Bangladesh Taskforce’.
PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
Laying emphasis on moving ahead the country in line with the global arena, Sheikh Hasina said the public services to the common people should be rendered smoothly through using the technology and ICT.
The prime minister said when the taskforce was formed five years back, the main goal was to build Digital Bangladesh and the government has moved a lot in this regard.
Noting that the country has also advanced a lot in using technologies, she said the continuous use of ICT in all sectors has reduced to a great extent the trend of corruption as well as saving cost and time for accomplishing various
tasks.
Mentioning that the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with most of his family members was a disgrace for the nation, Hasina said Bangabandhu had always wanted economic emancipation of the country’s people.
She said Bangabandhu had been assassinated at a time when he was engaged wholeheartedly in rebuilding the war-ravaged country. ‘Upholding the ideals and spirit of Bangabandhu, I returned to Bangladesh with a heavy heart where my aim was to change the fate of the country’s people. We are working to that end.’
Hasina said when the ‘Digital Bangladesh Taskforce’ was formed five years back, then many had discouraged her government, but she was firm in her decision.
Recalling her early days with the desktop computer and introduction with the information and communication technology, the prime minister said it was her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy who first gave her first hand about the computer.
After assuming of office in 1996, she said, her government for the first time withdrew duty on computers to make it available for the common people to flourish the ICT use.
She alleged that the then BNP government declined to have Bangladesh connected with the first submarine cable free for which the country has lagged behind in getting the ICT services.
Highlighting the use of various ICT services, Hasina said now rural people even were more aware about ICTs, the uses of ICTs in healthcare services, admission to various academic institutions, payments of various utility bills, sending and receiving money, operation of multimedia classrooms in schools, setting up of some 5,275 digital centres across the country creating employment opportunities for many.
She also said works are underway to digitise some 8,000 postal offices in phases across the country.
The meeting discussed the progress of implementation of the decisions taken for various ministries and departments at the first meeting of the taskforce.
Finance minister AMA Muhith, LGRD minister Khondakar Mosharraf Hossain, law minister Anisul Huq, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, PM’s ICT adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy, state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and state minister for post and telecommunications Tarana Halim were, among others,
present.
ICT secretary Shyam Sundor Shikdar made a presentation on the progress of the ICT in different
sectors.