The digitisation programme would play vital role in accelerating the process of turning villages into towns pushing Bangladesh toward a developed nation.
The union digital centres (UDCs) have made all digital facilities, including information and communication technologies (ICT), available to rural people creating a stronger foundation for the purpose.
“Along with achieving huge macroeconomic success, rural people are getting government services easily through UDCs accelerating rural uplifts to improve living standard,” said Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) Md. Zakir Hossain. Following implementation of massive social safety-net programmes (SSNPs) along with unprecedented developments in every sector, digital facilities have become inseparable parts of civic life in rural areas.
Housewife Zakia Begum of Kursha Balorampur village in Mominpur union of Rangpur Sadar upazila said she and her husband along with four children were in hardship even 10 years back.
She starting a small cattle farm by taking Taka 10,000 as interest free loan under SSNPs of the ‘Ekti Bari, Ekti Khamar’ project in 2012 and again Taka 18,000 in 2014 to increase investment in cattle business and start crop farming as sharecropper.
By virtue of digitisation, she started getting information from Mominur UDC about treatment and nursing of cattle heads, facing crop diseases and market prices of those to get better profits. “As our incomes were increasing, we purchased mobile phone sets and 50 decimals of crop land,” Zakia said. She has built semi-pucca house, got electricity and has 13 sheep, four bullocks, three heifers and other assets worth Taka ten lakh to lead better life almost like in a town. “I have married off my daughter Nahar, my son Zakaria, daughter Tasmina and son Saikat are studying in schools and colleges,” Zakia added.
Talking to media, Pervin Akhter and her husband Anwarul Islam of Bangmari village under Nilphamari Sadar upazila said they led miserable life before getting job at ‘Evergreen’ factory at Uttara Export Processing Zone (EPZ) six years back.
