ICT Access Centers to be introduced in rural areas

Thursday, August 3, 2006

Excerpt: The government for the first time is going to introduce ICT Access Centers for the rural people to attach the underprivileged section to the technology-based knowledge society, reports UNB.

The rural ICT Access Centers, to be equipped with modern computers and Internet facilities, will provide ICT-enabled services to the rural people to bring them into the mainstream of development.

?Within next two months, we?ll be able to introduce such knowledge centers,? Science and ICT Minister Dr Moyeen Khan told a workshop here Wednesday.

He said most of the people in Bangladesh live in villages and sustainable development is not possible keeping them outside the ICT network.

The Commonwealth Secretariat organised the two-day consultative workshop titled ?Establishing Rural ICT Strategy for Bangladesh? at BRAC Centre in the city.

Advisor of National Virtual Academy of India Subbiah Arunachalam and Adviser of the Commonwealth Secretariat?s Special Advisory Services Division Ram Venupresad were also present at the opening session of the workshop.

Speaking on the occasion, Moyeen Khan said the government in its efforts to ensure access of people to communication is providing 10 million telephone connections under a three-year scheme from 2004 to 2006.

The minister said he had been trying to set up ICT Access Centers in rural Bangladesh since he took over office five years back.

Source: News From Bangladesh (link opens in a new window)