By 2025, all public and private services in the country will be available online. This has been announced by State Minister for ICT Division ZunaidAhmed Palak. “The government is working to make all citizen services available online in four years, which will create 30 lakh IT and ITES jobs," the Minister said. He was addressing a virtual programme on Friday night on the occasion of the launch of the Bangladesh chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), as the chief guest. READ: 35,000 modern digital labs to be installed to give more access to girls: Palak Already 60 lakh people are availing citizen services online through 7,000 digital centres across the country, Zunaid said. "The government has adopted a strategy of ‘Mission 5 billion dollars’ to earn 5 billion US dollars and achieve growth by 2025. Already one million dollars has been achieved," said Palak. A draft strategy of the Made-in-Bangladesh-ICT industry has been prepared for producing digital devices in the country, he said. Palak said the payment system has been digitised, which has led to rapid growth of mobile financial services and e-commerce. In April 2021, some Tk 63,479 crore were transacted through mobile phone apps. The growth of e-commerce is about 166 percent. Already 8,000 Sheikh Russel digital labs have been set up at educational institutions to make the citizens ready for the fourth industrial revolution. READ: KEPZ Hi-Tech park will attract huge FDI, hopes Palak Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Centre has been established in 64 districts. Besides, Sheikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology and some 39 high-tech parks are being built in Bangladesh.

The Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) Hi-Tech park will play a significant role in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Bangladesh, said State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Wednesday. "Korea is a pioneer country to invest in Bangladesh and has extended and enhanced its cooperation beyond textile to ICT, energy, blue economy, climate change and infrastructure development for over 45 years," he said. Palak made the remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the KEPZ Hi-Tech Park mentioning that the collaboration between Bangladesh and South Korea goes a long way. The Hi-Tech Park was jointly inaugurated by State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun with the physical presence of Kihak Sung, Chairman & CEO of Youngone Corp & KEPZ. It was a remarkable day for KEPZ in the field of Hi-Tech industrial development, said the Youngone Corp adding that the vision of the company to establish a state-of-the-art Hi-Tech park is coming to a reality. Also read: S Korea sees brighter ties with Bangladesh with multifarious success stories: Envoy

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said KOICA’s different bilateral projects in ICT sector since its operation in Bangladesh remarkably helped Bangladesh to establish the pillars of 'Digital Bangladesh’.  He was addressing a function held in a city hotel on Thursday evening.  Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA), jointly celebrated KOICA’s 30th anniversary titled "Deepening Bilateral Ties between Republic of Korea and Bangladesh for LDC Graduation." Chairman of parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, Fatima Yasmin, Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Lee Jang-keun, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh, Monzur Hossain, MP, President, KBAA and Chairman, Rupali Bank Limited and Young-Ah Doh, Country Director, KOICA Bangladesh Office were present. 

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak purchased a cattle from a digital cattle market (haat) and donated it to welfare platform Manabseba.com.

The government will host the ‘Digital Fair 2020’ online to present digital activities of all 64 districts to citizens through Bangladesh National Portal.

Banglalink and Teach it, a community-driven e-learning platform, have jointly introduced online live classes for Primary Education Certificate (PEC) examinees during general holiday of educational institutions amid the coronavirus. outbreak.

‘Shohojoddha’, a plasma network, has been initiated by the ICT division, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a2i Innovation Lab and eGeneration to facilitate the collection and distribution of plasma from patients who recovered from coronavirus. It is a plasma network platform designed with the intent to connect plasma donors and recipients in Bangladesh, according to a press release. In the platform, donors can register to become part of a digital plasma bank in Bangladesh that will serve patients infected by coronavirus. The digital plasma network will enable infected patients to search and collect necessary plasma in case of a doctor prescribes convalescent plasma therapy. The platform is available through www.shohojoddha.com web portal and Facebook page. Dhaka Medical College (DMC), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), United Hospital, Universal Hospital, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), e-Cab, Praava Health, Pulse Health, OIwell, Grey, Ayat Foundation and Bangladesh Super Market Owners’ Association Pathao, Shohoz, BAGDOOM and Chaldal have become partners of this initiative. State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak MP while inaugurating the network through a web based programme said that the government has been taking successful measures to keep people safe during this global health crisis. He said  ‘Shohojoddha’ platform is acontinuation of all the government efforts to cure people infected by the coronavirus. "We want to effectively use the existing infrastructure that promote the public's health and implement IT infrastructure over the existing system to contribute to improved individual and communal health outcomes concerning coronavirus," he said. Director of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Md. Aminul Hasan was present as special guest while Project Director (Additional Secretary) pf the a2i Dr. Md Abdul Mannan chaired the programme. In the event eGeneration Group Chairman Shameem Ahsan presented his keynote presentation on the ‘Shohojoddha’ platform. Special Guest Dr. Md. Aminul Hasan said, “Coronavirus is a crisis of a completely different magnitude and one that will require a response of unprecedented scale." He said that Platform like ‘Shohojoddha’ is much needed in country’s current situation. "Health sector needs to adopt with digital technologies like this to fight a challenge like COVID-19. We wish this initiative a resounding success.” Dr. Md Abdul Mannan said, “a2i has been working continuously to collaborate with public and private sector to initiate different project. We hope that platforms like ‘Shohojoddha’ will be integrated into our public health system.” Policy advisor of a2i Anir Chowdhury, said that plasma donor does not feel any illness as only plasma or aqueous part of blood is taken from the body of a corona recovered patient in plasma therapy. He mentioned that It is easier to give plasma than to give blood and there is no reason to be afraid. "A major silver lining is that most infected people get completely cured from the infection. I would like to request the recovered people to register through the ‘Shohojoddha’ network so that you can contribute to stopping corona.” eGeneration Chairman Shameem Ahsan said, "We are living through an exceptional time, and our greatest strength lies in working together. The transmission of coronavirus has become a major concern for our public health, and we need proper implementation of information technology through collaboration of our government, private sector, and healthcare service providers to keep pace with the ongoing situation. ‘Shohojoddha’ platform is the manifestation of the ideology to bring about technology innovation to our health sector.” Faruq Ahmed Jewel, Head of Technology for i-Lab at a2i said, “To solve our national problems innovation lab has been doing research with RND partners and researchers. ‘Shohojoddha’ is one of those initiatives that we are launching. Our belief is that the platform will play a vital part in binding different stakeholders to facilitate the plasma distribution in our country.”