IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

A common demand among all of information and communications technology (ICT) stakeholders and investors in telecommunication sectors, is for a reduction of the government’s VAT on internet and transmission services.

Over the past fifteen years, Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS), Internet Service Providers’ Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) and Bangladesh Association of Call Center and Outsourcing (BACCO) along with experts and educationalists, have expressed their demands on the issue but the policy makers have done nothing about it.

"Corruption still persists in the society. Information technology can be effectively used for reducing corruption," said Muhith, while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of BCS ICT World-12, a computer fair organised by Bangladesh Computer Samity on Tuesday.

He said that prevailing corruption in land management, police and courts can be handled effectively by use of Information-technology, because that ensured transparency.

The US Secretary of State in the 70s, Dr Henry Kissinger, after the birth of our nation, infamously dubbed Bangladesh as a 'bottomless basket' because it was considered to be a country with no hope. Some forty years later, it is still a poor nation with low literacy and an international image featuring all forms of disasters, natural and man-made.

But then again, Bangladesh - the country of 'impossible attainments'–has become the world's fifth fastest growing economy with a consistent GDP growth rate of around 6% for the last few years in a world which has seen near-zero or negative growth. Not known to many people, it has also become the world's 45th largest economy with a GDP size of USD 286 billion.With the capital Dhaka ranking third in freelance IT and IT-enabled services outsourcing globally, with over 120 million mobile phone users, 43 million internet users, 8 million Facebook users (one new Facebook user being added every twenty seconds), 99% geographical coverage in voice and data connectivity (mostly through wireless networks), and over 5,000 service access points where the citizens receive over sixty government and private services electronically, the country is on the fast lane towards massive digitisation. The government service delivery mechanism is reinventing itself to become more citizen-centric and responsive to citizens' needs. In spite of overwhelming odds, the government officials are showing a distinct change in 'mind-set' to become more digitally oriented and service focused.

The government of Bangladesh with financial assistance of World Bank (WB) is implementing the project, which has also potential to create up to another 30,000 jobs.

A Memorandum of Understanding has signed between the Digital Security Agency, Bangladesh Computer Council and the Cyber Warfare and Information Technology Directorate under the Bangladesh Air Force for mutual cooperation in cyber security.

State minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak was present on the occasion as the chief guest, a press release said in Dhaka on Thursday.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Ethics Advance Technology Limited (EATL) and Multimedia Content and Communication(MCC) to promote mobile application aiming at earning huge foreign currency.

The MoU was signed at a function in the auditorium of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), reports BSS. ICT Secretary Md Nazrul Islam Khan, Managing Director of EATL Mubin Khan and Managing Director of MCC SM Ashraf Abir signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.

The government has planned to establish one lakh Wi-Fi hotspots in different rural areas to provide people internet connectivity free of cost with an aim to diminish the information and communication gap between city and rural areas.

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak told a seminar on "National Mobile Application trainer and information application development programme" in the auditorium of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) in the capital on Saturday.

The government has decided to bring all its agencies, including the cabinet division, under e-procurement system by December to check corruption and political nepotism in tendering.

The decision was made in a recent Planning Ministry meeting, presided over by minister AHM Mustafa Kamal. The meeting also decided to form a working group to introduce e-procurement system and include the cabinet committees on economic affairs and public purchase.

The government will pass a digital security law to stop misuse of internet, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.

She said this while inaugurating the observance of Internet Week in a video conference on Saturday evening.

The PM urged not to use the internet in unsocial activities and militancy. She also urged not to make any derogative comment on religion in the internet.

In his message, the President said an efficient civil service is essential to fulfill hopes and aspirations of the people and establish good governance.

He appreciated the administrative reforms carried out by the ministry of public administration to reach the services to the doorstep of the people and expressed firm conviction that the civil servants would play a significant role in building Bangladesh as a prosperous country.

Like the seed-fertiliser-water technology of the 1980s that revolutionised rice productivity and agriculture in Bangladesh, the ICT revolution touched off by the Digital Bangladesh initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2009 holds the promise of lifting factor productivity and citizen welfare through the adoption of mobile technology. Bangladesh has already made good progress during the Sixth Plan. The potential benefits for the poor are particularly noteworthy. By transferring knowledge, by facilitating financial transactions, by eliminating needless intermediation in transactions, and by enhancing and speeding up access to a range of public and privately provided services, the ICT revolution is contributing to lower production and selling costs for the poor. This in turn is increasing their productivity and income, thereby contributing to poverty reduction and improvement in mass welfare.

Serving the citizens through electronic governance or “eGovernance”, is more essential for the developing countries than forthe developed and less populousones. The government in a densely populous country like Bangladesh can better serve the citizens through Information and CommunicationTechnologies (ICTs). Branding the country as Digital Bangladesh might have drawn the attention of local and international communities, but the country's success in adopting eGovernance is not noticeable if compared to some provinces of theneighboring country, India.

During the last parliamentary election of India, the successful project 'SWAGAT' in Gujarat often came to the limelight because it made the BJP leader, Narendra Modi,a hero of India,who was later voted as Prime Minister of one of the biggest countries of the world. Actually, SWAGAT is almost synonymous to the eGovernance services; people of the region arejust a click away from accessing the citizen services.

Political influence, collusion, syndication still play major role in public procurement

Transparency International Bangladesh on Wednesday said that the introduction the e-government procurement hardly checked corruption in the public procurement that crossed over two lakh trillion taka annually.

The main aim of the e-GP, a joint initiative of the government and the World Bank since 2011, was to curb corruption among the public entities involved in implementing development projects.

The credit will be disbursed under 'Identification System for Enhancing Access to Services Project'. The goal of the project is to introduce e-governance in government bodies to combat corruption and provide more efficient services.

The Election Commission Secretariat will implement the project from July 2011 to June 2016.

The government would undertake a project to set up 10,000 Sheikh Russel Digital Labs (computer labs) at educational institutions across the country.

State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak disclosed this in the Jatiya Sangsad on Saturday while replying to a supplementary question from whip Shahiduzzaman Sarkar.

The 20-year-long master plan to transform the tourism city Cox's Bazar into a modern and smart city is likely to be initiated next month.

The Cox's Bazar Development Authority (CoxDA) is ready to prepare a master plan for the tourism city.

"We're working to formulate a masterplan for 20 years — from 2023 to 2043 — to transform Cox's Bazar into a smart city. The formal work to this end will start next month," Chairman of the CoxDA, Commodore (retd) Muhammed Nurul Absar, told reporters in a views-exchange meeting held at his office on Saturday.

The programme had 40 projects which included the automated 36 offices.

“We have already handed over the completed 36 projects with four components - hardware, networking, web portal and training,” said project director of the Support to ICT Taskforce Programme Proshanta Kumar Chakraborty.

The project titled 'Leveraging ICT for Growth, Employment and Governance project' (LICT) of Bangladesh Computer Company (BCC) under ICT Ministry will offer a package of incentives for the IT and ITES companies against recruitment of FTFLs and their training, officials said.

The project “Leveraging ICT for Growth, Employment and Governance” of Bangladesh Computer Company under ICT ministry will offer a package of incentives to the IT and ITES companies to recruit the fast track future IT leaders and train them, said officials.