DHAKA: Minister for Foreign Affairs AHM Mahmood Ali urged Asian countries to step forward utilizing potentiality of Information Technology.

He made the urge at inauguration ceremony of two-day long International conference ‘CICA conference on digital government’ a Hotel Radisson around 11:00am Friday.

The minister said, ‘There are many Asian countries who are still lagging behind in using technology. So, we have to work together to reduce the digital gaps and to implement effective digital governments in Asia’.

The countries also have to ensure use of technology in important sectors, including education and health, and take steps to build digital government, he added.

Bangladesh has attained full membership of CICA in 2014. As many as 26 countries are members of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). Of them, eight are observer states and Bangladesh is coordinator.

The minister said under the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ programme, the government has successfully implemented a series of comprehensive projects to provide more convenient services to the people.

‘We are now in the 2nd phase of implementation of Digital Bangladesh programme under the leadership Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, AH Mahmood Ali.

As special guest, state minister for information and technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that in last seven years, in the voyage of Digital Bangladesh information technology has spread unprecedentedly. Now, ICT service has reached to root level.

The state minister also said Bangladesh has established connectivity in its 18,500 government organizations. 5,275 digital center has been installed. 40 lakh people receive services from Union Digital centres.
 
CICA executive director Gong Jianwei, Bangladesh Computer Council Executive Director SM Ashraful Islam, Egypt Ambassador in Bangladesh Dean of Diplomatic Core Mahmoud Ezzat also addressed the program, with ICT division secretary Shyam Sundur Shikder in the chair.

BDST: 1550 HRS, MAR 03, 2016
RS