Digital Bangladesh
The first priority is a long-term phased project to install renewable packages in 50 per cent of the villages (the other 50 per cent villages would replicate tested packages).
The solar energy electricity kits for the village homes are not cheap, because the developed countries have tower priority in R&D budgets for products usable in the third world missing four billion consumers!
The latest news is that the thousands of trained computer operators who worked for the Election Commission for the Voter/National ID cards have to be absorbed in other posts. The IT sector is flourishing, but better official monitoring could throw light on future development priorities (note how Bangalore in India has become a global centre).
Energy from biogas would have tremendous impact on rural lifestyle. The government and the NGOs are aware of the possibilities, but the sense of urgency seems to be missing ('Digital Bangladesh' slogan could have been more mass-oriented).
There is one small application, running into millions of users: how to help the paddle rickshaws with some renewable energy application (human pedalling), to provide light, and lessen the use of muscle power. Getting energy from disposed garbage is another project lacking concentration. In this deltaic region, the mass awareness of use of tidal power (inland waterways) is lacking (hardly any application).
We need more industrial zones than EPZs; to shift the small factories from the city municipal zones. With decentralisation of power (provinces?) Dhaka metropolis would not be so overcrowded.
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