PM opens optical fibre connectivity to 300 unions

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today inaugurated optical fibre connectivity to 300 unions of 10 districts saying her government’s sole goal is to reach fruits of independence to people’s doorsteps.

“Our only goal is to reach fruits of independence and the (government) services to people’s doorsteps and we are working relentlessly to achieve
it,” she said while opening the ICT connectivity through a videoconference from her official Ganabhaban.

The premier said Bangabandhu wanted people to get all kinds of government services alongside their fundamental rights like food, clothes, education, healthcare and housing and “now we’re working to materialise his dream”.

The optical fibre connectivity was launched under a project called National Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Development (Info-Government 3rd Phase) being implemented by Bangladesh Computer Council.

The ICT Division of the Post, Telecommunication and ICT Ministry is overseeing the scheme with Chinese government assistance for bringing several million rural people the 300 unions of the 10 districts under a high speed broadband internet network.

The districts are Nilphamari, Kurigram, Bagura, Patuakhali, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Netrakona, Habiganj, Rajshahi and Chandpur.

The scheme is being executed at a cost of Tk 2039 crore and 48 lakh aiming to bring 2600 unions of the country under the optical fibre connectivity.

Highlighting the background of her Digital Vision programme, the premier said when Awami League government assumed office in 1996 after 21 years, Bangladesh was not connected to the submarine cable and use of computer in the country was rare.

“After assuming office, we waved tax on the computer and its accessories to make it available to the people and took measures for learning and
training on the most modern tool at that time,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said when her government was elected to power again in 2008 elections “we started materialising its Digital Bangladesh vision programme”.

“We’ve taken the programme so that the people of the country do not lag behind in technology education and they can move keeping pace with modern world,” she said.

To achieve the goal, she said, the government set up 5200 digital centres across the country while the campaign was launched from remote Char
Kukrimukri of Bhola district.

Sheikh Hasina said the government by now launched the world’s largest web portal with 25000 websites of the government offices and turned 8,500 post offices into digital centres to reach government services to the people’s doorsteps.

After the opening of the connectivity, the premier also exchanged views with beneficiaries of different classes and professions including students
and teachers of five unions of Nilphamari, Kurigram, Bagura, Netrakona and Rajshahi through the videoconference.

The programme was connected with the beneficiaries of five unions of five other districts.

Post, Telecommunication and ICT Ministry Mostafa Jabbar and State Minister for ICT Division Junaid Ahmed Palak spoke on the occasion, while ICT Division Secretary Zuena Aziz made an audiovisual presentation on the project.

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and Principal Coordinator on the SDG Affairs Md Abul Kalam Azad, among others, were present at the function moderated by PM’s Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman.

Source: BSS