Process on to disilise Panchagarh

3 July 2010, 18:00 PM

Bss, Rangpur

In line with the present government's vision to build Digital Bangladesh, Panchagarh district administration has set up a glaring example of providing necessary information to the people by setting up digitalised union information centres (UICs) in all its 43 unions. People of the district are now getting all information and services for their development. The administration has brought all people under information and communication technology (ICT) facilities through utilising only the local resources and without spending any public money. Now a huge number of people are getting offline and online facilities such as different government forms and information about agriculture, health, education, legal aid, human rights and employment. Services like composing, printing, photo, scanning, email, internet browsing and multimedia projector are being provided to the rural people at a nominal price. Local people from all strata are now hoping that Panchagarh will soon attain the total successes in achieving all planned and envisioned indexes to make the Vision-2021, Charter of Changes and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) successful. Opinion leaders of the district highly lauded the initiative and suggested replicating the successes as model in other 63 districts of Bangladesh. Talking to the news agency, deputy commissioner (DC) Banomali Bhowmik said that the process for bringing all government, NGO and private offices, educational institutions and schools and other institutions under the ICT facilities has been continuing faster in Panchagarh. “We have more plans in the second phase of the programmes and the Panchagarh people will soon attain all set goals in making the Digital Bangladesh, Charter of Changes, Vision-2021 and MDG programmes successful,” he said with full confidences. The DC involved all officials and employees, NGOs, union parishad chairmen and members, upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen, journalists, teachers, socio-cultural activists, religious leaders and elite in the process for bringing a change in the mindsets first of all. Several committees were formed at all levels involving people of all levels for monitoring the activities by arranging monthly meetings of these committees. Farmers of the district are now getting all information regarding agricultural activities including farming periods of crops, cropping patterns and latest technologies, seeds, fertilisers, fertiliser dealers, pesticides etc from the UICs everywhere there. A total of 86 computer operators have also been appointed and provided necessary trainings with two for each of these 43 UICs and more 71 such ICT centres have been set up so far in the secondary schools under the first phase of the programme. UNDP-funded Access to Information (A2I) Programme has been providing all possible technical assistance to this end.