14 years of digital progress, the dream is now Smart Bangladesh

by time news

2023-06-08 09:33:16

Liaquat Hossain

Technology is developing at a rapid pace throughout the world today. Bangladesh is also not lagging behind this global digital progress. This progress has been made possible under the guidance of Bangabandhu’s daughter Hon’ble Prime Minister Jannetri Sheikh Hasina and the supervision of ICT Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

At the end of the digital Bangladesh construction phase, new goals have been set again. This year’s goal is ‘Smart Bangladesh’. The dream of ‘Smart Bangladesh’ has been added to the Digital Bangladesh slogan. This time the government’s aim is to transform Bangladesh into ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2041. The Bangladesh Awami League government has embarked on a journey to build a cost-effective, sustainable, intelligent, knowledge-based, innovative Smart Bangladesh by 2041, focusing on the four main pillars of Smart Citizen, Smart Society, Smart Economy and Smart Government.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the greatest Bengali father of a thousand years, realized the importance of information and technology for the construction of his dream of Sonar Bangla after the independence of the country. So he gave equal importance to information and technology sector like all other sectors. It was primarily Bangabandhu’s hands that laid the foundations of a modern science-minded technology-based country, which in turn inspired Bangladesh to participate in the digital revolution. Under the leadership of Bangabandhu, Bangladesh became a member of the important ‘International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’ among the 15 organizations of the United Nations on September 5, 1973. On June 14, 1975, Bangabandhu inaugurated the Satellite Earth Station at Betbunia. Not only this, the Earth-Resource Technology Satellite Program for sharing socio-economic survey, weather information is also implemented under his direction. It was Bangabandhu’s well-thought-out and far-sighted initiative to prepare the report of the Education Commission under the leadership of Scientist Kudrat A. Khuda emphasizing science, technology and technical education and to use technology in education in the first five-year plan.

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21 years after the brutal killing of Bangabandhu, Bangamata Begum Sheikh Fazillatunesha Mujib and other members of the Sheikh family on August 15, 1975, in 1996, country ratna Sheikh Hasina was elected as the 11th Prime Minister by popular vote. Sheikh Hasina, the opportune successor of the wise statesman Bangabandhu, emphasized on the expansion and development of information and communication technology in the governance of the country. In 1999, a cabinet meeting under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina decided to build a Hi-Tech Park at Kaliakore in Gazipur.

Later, in 2008, before the 9th National Parliament election, the political party Bangladesh Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina promised to build a digital Bangladesh based on information technology and knowledge in its election manifesto. After winning the elections, he presented the ‘Din Badel Sanad Rupkalp 2021 (Vision 2021)’ whose motto was to build a digital Bangladesh and aimed to make Bangladesh a digital country by 2021, the year of the golden jubilee (50 years) of independence.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 11, 2010 inaugurated the Union Information and Service Center in 4 thousand 501 unions of the country through video conference, which is now well known as Union Digital Center (UDC), with the aim of delivering easy, fast and low-cost government services to the public. People in rural towns are now getting life and livelihood related information and necessary services very easily in a familiar environment close to home. Currently, separate digital centers have been launched for municipalities, city corporations, garment workers and expatriate citizens. At present, 600 types of digital services have been ensured for common people through about 7 thousand 602 digital centers, 8 thousand 200 digital post offices in the country. When the Awami League government was formed in 2009, the number of e-government services in the country was almost zero, now its number is 60 million and 50 million. In addition, about 1200 types of services are available through the use of information technology.

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The Awami League government set up about 86 thousand digital classrooms or digital labs to improve the quality of education. Along with this, the construction project of Sheikh Russell Digital Lab in the educational institution is going on. Also, digitization of all content related to education, complete digitization of government’s internal activities, from registration of birth and death to publication of examination results, almost all types of government services including job applications have been ensured through technology.

At present, national identity card smartcards and modern e-passports are being issued, which were once unimaginable. In addition, in 2020, people during the Corona period have received emergency food assistance, information services related to Corona, and telemedicine services at home. Also, the ICT Directorate developed the Vaccination Portal Covid-19 Vaccine Management System ‘Suraksha’, using which millions of people are getting vaccinated.

2009 Before the Prime Minister assumed office, two crore people were using mobile phones in the country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina broke the monopoly of mobile phones and made them available to common people. Now the number of mobile users in the country is about 18.16 million; Many of them are residents of villages in remote areas.

In 2008, the number of internet users in the country was only 8 lakh, which is now more than 1261 million. Currently, 98 percent of the country’s internet users are covered by 4-G mobile technology. The use of 5G has been started on an experimental basis since December last year. Besides, about 9 lakh 56 thousand 298 km of optical fiber cable has been laid up to the union level and 10 gigabit capacity has been ensured in almost every union.

One of the achievements of the Sheikh Hasina government in science and information technology was the successful launch of Bangabandhu Satellite-1 in May 2018. This is a great achievement for Bangladesh because Bangladesh entered the era of modern science through its hands. Today, Bangladesh is the 57th satellite club member.

Since the decision to build Hi-Tech Park at Kaliakore, Gazipur in 1999, 46 Hi-Tech Parks and Incubation Centers have been set up in the country so far. In 2015, he took various effective steps including reducing the duty on computer import, providing subsidies and incentives to hardware and software industry producers to make people technology oriented.

In 2008, the number of freelancers in the country was zero, now that number has exceeded 650,000. 15 lakh 15 thousand have received training in ICT sector in the past year. As one can see, the export earnings in the IT sector are 1.3 billion US dollars. The government has set a target of US$5 billion in export earnings by 2025. In addition, the Information and Communication Technology Department of the government has undertaken a plan to establish 300 Schools of Future, 13000 Sheikh Russell Digital Labs, a total of 92 hi-tech parks including one Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Center in 64 districts for the young generation.

Online banking, electronic money transfer, use of ATM cards due to the development of cashless society is also expanding e-commerce. Also the dependence on the online world in daily work has increased a lot. People can now pay electricity, water, gas, credit card bills etc. at home.

In the development of startup culture, many initiatives of the government, including Idea Project and Startup Bangladesh Company Limited, are getting good results. At present, the startup ecosystem has developed in the country. An e-directory with 1 million numbers has been made under the National Information Delivery Framework. 2 million people are using this e-service every month. The website has 5 million contents. And more than a thousand teams are working to develop these. There are more than 100,000 trained staff to update the content.

Also people can get e-tender, e-document, e-form, e-mutation, e-challan, EFT, e-document, online pension, bus-train-air ticket, emergency service 999, government information service helpline 333 People are getting various benefits. Also, on the one hand, as the identity of any person can be known easily through the identity portal, on the other hand, the easy way of communication with the public representatives is ensured through the My MP portal.

Under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Mr. Sajib Wazed Joy, Advisor to the Prime Minister on ICT, Architect of Digital Bangladesh has made the most important contribution in the formation of Digital Bangladesh. He is working as a chief engineer in building Digital Bangladesh. The contribution of Minister of State for Information and Communication Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak to strengthen the hand of Mr. Sajib Wazed Joy to make Bangladesh dependent on technology is undeniable. The symbol of youth, Mr. Junaid Ahmed has played a leading role in ensuring various civic benefits including the construction of hi-tech park in Palak, launch of 4-G, reduction of internet prices, duty free import of computers, excellence in freelancing, various official work done online. Inspired by the ideals of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu, these two young personalities are working tirelessly to make the country a ‘Smart Bangladesh’ under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister to make the initiative to digitize the country more sustainable and integrated.

Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken Bangladesh to a unique height along the path laid by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to build a science and technology dependent Bangladesh. No one will be left behind in the golden bangla of the father of the nation’s dream, the only aim of our honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is to move forward with everyone. So last December the theme of Digital Bangladesh Day-2022 was ‘Advanced Technology, Inclusive Development’. Like our Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we also dream of a beautiful, self-reliant and smart Bangladesh in the future and believe that Bangladesh will move forward towards its desired goals with her hands.

Author: Secretary General, We are Digital Bangladesh Foundation

KSK/ASM

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