ZCZC
BSS-20
RURAL-ONLINE-SERVICE
100m rural people to get access to online services
DHAKA, 4 Nov, 2018 (BSS) – The availability of high-speed internet in the
country’s 2,600 unions will ensure easy access of 100 million rural people to
various online services and generate employment opportunities.
Officials say necessary equipments have already been installed in 2,300
unions and about 9,500 km optical fiber cable lines have been set up so far
to establish broadband internet connectivity.
“Some 2,600 unions are expected to come under high-speed internet
connectivity by December this year as about 90 percent work is completed so
far,” said ICT Secretary Zuena Aziz.
She said the remaining works, including setting up Point of Presence
(PoP) and Virtual Private Network (VPN), are expected to be completed by June
2019.
In line with its Digital Bangladesh vision, the government launched a
project titled, ‘InfoSarker (phase-3)’ under Bangladesh Computer Council of
the ICT Division aimed at providing various services, including banking,
telemedicine, education, health, agriculture, social safety net programme,
digitally and generating outsourcing and online related jobs.
The project has already been conferred with two prestigious international
awards – ‘e-Asia 2017’ and ‘ASOCIO 2018 Digital Government’.
Executive Director of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) Parthapratim Deb
said the high-speed internet connectivity is being ensured in the rural areas
to ensure rural people’s easy access to various online services.
“There will be no digital divide as the rural people will enjoy services
like urban ones,” he said, adding that the use of ICT by both the urban and
rural people will help achieve target of Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).
According to the officials of ICT Division, the government had a plan to
turn all the digital centres, including 4,550 union digital centres, into
mini Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Centres aiming to involve the
educated youths of rural areas in various online jobs, including outsourcing
and e-commerce.
Project Director of InfoSarker-3 Bikarna Kumar Ghose said nearly 100
million people of rural areas will enjoy the services once the project is
implemented.
“Establishing connectivity to 2,600 unions will generate employment for
the educated youths of rural areas as they will get an opportunity to use ICT
for outsourcing and other online related works,” he said.
A senior official of the ICT Division said the ultimate goal of the
government is to set up information centre in every village of the country to
ensure optimal use of ICT to improve livelihood of rural people.
As per the goal, he said, the government launched InfoSarker project
phase 1, 2 and 3 to bring districts, upazilas and unions under broadband
connectivity. In the next phase, the villages will come under broadband
connectivity, he added.
BSS/PR/SAH/MRI/1704 hrs