We cannot reap the benefits of ICT if it is confined in selected households in one or two big cities and if we fail to take it to the doorsteps of general people throughout the country. As the fibre optic backbone connecting the submarine cable and spanning the whole country nears completion it is possible to open a huge number of cyber centers in the small towns and villages in the country. The cyber centers can be a place where people will get opportunity to send and receive e-mail. These are the places where people will have access to internet for information on agriculture, business and health service. They can have education, entertainment and so on through internet. All post offices can work as cyber centers, in addition to their normal present duties. These cyber centers can be economically profitable for the entrepreneurs.
Electronic governance or e-governance is much talked about in this information age. In Bangladesh it can make the government more efficient, transparent and effective; besides, it can generate an experienced IT workforce which can not only earn money within the country but fetch huge amount of money from abroad. In e-governance, government can give information to public and public can have access to important information and documents of the government. Public opinion may be sought on various issues as interaction between public and government can be built through internets and websites. People can vent their grievances and lodge their complaints.
Videoconferencing to accelerate decision making reducing the cost of travel and accommodation will result in huge cut in the cost of governance. Progress of different projects in distant places can be monitored from the capital city and divisional headquarters. Tender advertisement and tender bidding for government purchases can be done using the internet. Status of various projects of public interest could be displayed through a web site. All information about different stages, starting from the initial conception of a project, approval of the project, floating of tender documents and ending up with the awarding of the contract to the bidder could be made available to the general public for the sake of transparency. Advertisement for various posts in the government sector may be put up on the websites of concerned ministry and candidates may apply through internet.
Government should immediately take steps to create a Central Data Bank for the entire population. Electronic ID cards should be made for each individual. That ID card can be used for voting, opening a bank account, having a license or passport, giving taxes, for obtaining job and so on. Various utility bills like power supply, water supply, gas supply and telecommunications can be paid by consumers through internet. They can interact with these utility agencies regarding inaccurate bills or other complains.
There can be transparency and safety in land registration if the whole process of registration is computerized. Through Geographic Information System or GIS, with the click of a point on the map information about land, terrain, climate, agriculture, oil, gas, coal, transport, development and demography can be obtained. GIS can be utilized effectively by various ministries.
Bangladesh has great potentialities for earning crores of dollars in foreign currency by providing ICT-enabled services to the foreign buyers. Bangladesh has a time difference of twelve hours with North America and other main markets which makes possible easy delivery of ICT enabled services. Availability of large number of computer-trained young people with English base on the one hand and cheap wage of the trained manpower on the other puts Bangladesh in an advantageous position. Political will of the government manifested in the declaration of ICT as a 'Thrust Sector' and its desire to turn Bangladesh into an ICT driven country will definitely help. The prospective ICT enabled services are call centres, medical transcription, data entry, back office processing, insurance claim processing, salary processing, engineering design, translation, animation and many things more. With the commissioning of the submarine cable system, the materialization of all these activities is much easier and affordable.
Through internet there has been an explosion of information, creation of transparency and a tremendous opportunity for acquiring knowledge and doing research in all disciplines. People have access to libraries, books and journals through internet. Distance education and virtual teachers are made possible widely by using ICT. In Bangladesh education and research can get a strong boost by exploiting all these opportunities.
Telemedicine or e-health care has a great future in Bangladesh. Patients in the remote places can consult the doctors over the internet. In the future distant analysis/transmission may be possible. Using telemedicine, doctors and other caregivers can consult with specialists thousands of miles away, provide diagnosis and treatment, continually upgrade their education and skills; and share medical records and X-rays. Telemedicine or e-health care can be of great help for the health of the rural people. A village can be linked to the health services available inside and outside the country.
Rural economy can be substantially improved with the application of ICT. Farmers can have continued specific advice regarding fertilizers, choice of crops and timing of sowing for their individual plots. They can learn relevant technology. Growers can know the current prices of vegetables, fruits etc. throughout the country and can make their strategy for timing and place for sale of their products.
Electronic commerce or e-commerce covers many forms of trade of goods and services, all of which rely on the internet to market, identify, select, pay for and deliver these goods and services. E-commerce and e-banking or online banking is in its nascent state in Bangladesh. We should develop e-commerce culture to create such buyers who would expect quick service and supply. Bangladesh can specialize in e-service, any service that can be provided through internet.
The present government approved the National ICT policy in 2002 with the aim of building an ICT driven nation comprising a knowledge-based society. ICT Task Force with Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia as the chairperson has been created for making policy decisions regarding various ICT related activities. A project "Support to ICT Task Force" primarily for introduction of e-governance is being implemented. It is much felt that there should be a Centre for e-Governance Initiatives which will oversee the total ICT implementation in the country thus coordinating all ICT activities. Its primary function will be to standardize the website and software development. Another important unit of this centre should be a National Data Resource Centre where all the information and data can be stored.
To help the ICT sector flourish in the country, there is a great need for an effective legal framework. Suitable legal reforms can create an ICT friendly environment which will help this sector grow by attracting investment. A recent amendment of the Amendment Copyright Act 2004 incorporating issues related to ICT will reduce the piracy of copyright of an individual or a company. Our much desired paperless environment and filing system in our offices needs certain legal protection. To create a smooth environment for e-commerce, to safeguard the dealings over the net and to check the threat to computer communication ICT law should be passed in the parliament.
The law needs to authenticate digital signatures and recognize electronic documents, provide right to information for the citizen and have enough provisions to check cyber crimes, which are not covered by existing law of the land. In order to let the IT sector take off, government should pass the ICT law immediately without any further delay. Private entrepreneurs, NGOs and above all the entire computer-skilled young generation should come forward with innovative initiatives in ICT in order to fully utilize our newly owned modern technology. The world is marching ahead with unprecedented speed in the ICT revolution, we as a nation simply cannot sit behind. Bangladesh is passing through a juncture where the present government has the opportunity to take the nation successfully into the digital world and can thus play a historic role.
Autor/Author: Dr. M Aminul Islam
Quelle/Source: The New Nation, 28.05.2006
