Assessing the Awami League manifesto and how Smart Bangladesh could be achieved
The Bangladesh Awami League (AL), the largest political party in the country, declared its election manifesto for the 12th Jatiya Sangsad election to win support from the people. This manifesto has encapsulated a vision for building a “Smart Bangladesh,” After reading the manifesto, the questions which popped up in my mind are: What is a smart Bangladesh? Is it achievable? How will it benefit the country and its citizens? I will try to find answers to these questions.
The idea of the smart country has been an extension of the concept called smart city popularized by IBM in the late 2000s. A smart city is “a high-tech, advanced city that connects people, information, and city elements using new technologies to create a sustainable, greener, competitive, innovative, and livable city”.