The cabinet today approved the draft of the ‘National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy, 2015’ seeking to establish a transparent and accountable government through expansion of ICT and its multifaceted use.
The approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the existing ICT Policy was framed back in July 2009 and the ICT Division came up with the revision of the policy for making it time-befitting one in consultation with the stakeholders concerned, holding inter-ministerial meetings, workshops and taking opinions from different ministries. The policy also aims to enhance the standards of citizen service.
He said there would be specific directives in this policy on how this ICT sector would be operated while this policy is more promotional and developmental of this sector and is less regulatory.
The cabinet secretary said comprehensive and effective use of ICT is the major medium of development and this policy has been revised with due professionalism.
He said the vision of the plan is to establish a transparent and accountable government through the expansion of ICT and its multifaceted use, ensuring skilled human resource development, rendering public service through public-private-partnership and to help turn Bangladesh into a mid-income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041.
Apart from a specific vision under this policy, there will be 10 specific objectives, 56 strategic themes, 306 items under an action plan alongside taking short, mid and long-term plans to be implemented by various ministries by 2016, 2018 and 2021 respectively.
The cabinet secretary said the policy on one hand is a set of abiding directives for the public servants and the role of NGOs and civil society has been highlighted towards expansion of ICT on the other.
The cabinet meeting was also apprised about the visit of the information minister to Malaysia from August 17 to 20 last year and his participation in the 10th Session of Islamic Conference of Information Ministers (ICIM) held between December 1and 4, 2014.
Ministers, state ministers and secretaries concerned attended the meeting.
– UNB, Dhaka
