IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Saturday asked the Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) to work together with people's representatives, including Upazila chairmen, to ensure maximum welfare of the grassroots people, reports UNB.

"No one in the world can do all the jobs alone. You (UNOs) have to work together with the Upazila chairmen and other people's representatives for ensuring people's welfare," she told them.

Read more: Bangladesh: E-tender to be introduced soon to stop tender manipulation: PM

According to recent media reports, the government has initiated a move to bring under a computer networking system all offices of divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers. For the purpose, separate email addresses have been created for each official at the district and the upazila levels under division-wise email groups. With the implementation of the new system, electronic mails will replace the post in administrative offices down to upazila to expedite dispatch of official orders and get quick response from field level. The government, as part of the move, has decided to provide all deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers across the country with laptops to enable local administrators to accelerate their official communications with the ministries and all other tiers directly through the Internet.

Read more: Bangladesh: E-governance networking

The target of establishing a Digital Bangladesh will remain 'illusive' if the government machinery is not properly digitised as felt by experts who consider e-governance as an integral part of digitisation. According to a government report as appeared in the press, more than 88 per cent of public offices have no manpower to deal with ICT (information and communication technology) operations and 70 per cent of the employees in government offices do not use computers. The situation is the worst in departments, corporations and commissions as 95 per cent of such offices have no ICT professionals who are needed to make e-governance initiatives successful.

Read more: Bangladesh: ICT experts must for digitisation

The government will set up a modern IT village at Karail of Mohakhali in the city.

The work of the IT village, to be established on 47 acres, is expected to begin by this fiscal year, State Minister for Science, Information and Communication Technology Yafez Osman told BSS on Tuesday.

"It has been included as a new project of the current fiscal year's annual development programme (ADP)," he said, adding that with the completion of the project it will be possible to provide more developed software and IT-based services at home and abroad.

Read more: Bangladesh: Modern IT village to be set up at Mohakhali