Digital Bangladesh changing Bhola

The picture of the country’s largest island district Bhola is changing rapidly as the government is facilitating its people with all sorts of digital services as part of transforming the country into a Digital Bangladesh by this year.

The implementation of the vision ‘Digital Bangladesh’ has simplified the public life in the central-southern district as they are now getting various digital services like e-mutation, e-filing, e-tender, internet connectivity and e-court easily.

According to officials, broadband internet connection has been provided to all levels of government offices in the district under the second phase of the Info Government Project, while 17 unions have been linked under the third phase.

Acting programmer of the district office of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department Md Arifur Rahman said the availability of the internet services is helping the rural people to communicate with any part of the world easily.

He said the internet connection will be given to 29 more unions soon under the ‘Connect Bangladesh Project’, and the service will be provided for business purposes. Arifur said that 49 Sheikh Russel Digital Labs have already been set up at different secondary and higher secondary-level schools and madrasahs in the district under the first phase of a flagship project of the government, adding 70 more such labs will be set up under the second phase.

Along with strengthening the institutional capacity ensuring the quality of education with digital facilities, including multimedia classrooms and powerpoint presentation, through the optimum use of ICT, he said different institutions can also avail the facilities for training. A total of 240 government officials of the district have been imparted special training on operating Digital Nothi, Arifur said, adding that the digital service has lessened the public sufferings in getting the government services.

“Now the people don’t have to move from one table to another to receive any service. There is no scope for any kind of corruption or injustice. Everything is being done as per the rules,” the official said. Along with reducing sufferings, Arifur said, the digital services are also saving time and money as well as ensuring transparency and accountability in the government service.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC education and ICT) of the district Sangkar Kumar Bishwas said that there are 83 UDCs in the district from where the rural people are receiving all kinds of digital services regularly.

“e-Mutation service has been launched at our land offices, and it helps the people to collect their land record through online service staying at their respective homes,” he said.

Mentioning that Bhola is in the forefront in managing Digital Nothi, Sangkar said the district administration is trying to make the government officials and employees more efficient by bringing them under training.

Highlighting the benefits of digitization which the people of Bhola are enjoying, the ADC said there is no scope for tender manipulation as the tender-related activities are now being conducted by maintaining cent percent transparency through e-tender.

The youths of the district are earning foreign currencies through outsourcing which would play a vital role in the country’s economy by removing unemployment problems, he added.