Most of the deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers did not hold a single meeting, particularly meeting of the ICT committees in their respective areas, in last three years over the government’s plan for building a ‘digital Bangladesh’, said a parliamentary standing committee.
The parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of information and communication technology on Sunday censured the DCs and UNOs for their failure to implement the government’s information and communication programmes.
‘I have castigated them [DCs and UNOs]. They are not interested in a digital Bangladesh. Most of them did not hold a single meeting of the ICT committee at the district and upazila levels,’ standing committee member Zunaid Ahmed Palak told reporters after the meeting in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
He said that some DCs and UNOs had even prepared fake papers on meetings of the ICT committees which did not take place.
‘My district Natore is one of the districts in which no meetings of the ICT committees were held,’ said Palak in presence of Natore’s deputy commissioner.
The committee chairman Abdul Wadud supported Palak. ‘Yes, they [DCs and UNOs] have not done anything towards implementing the vision of a digital Bangladesh though three years of the government have passed.’
The committee recommended that the ministry should reactivate the district and upazila level ICT committees to carry forward the government’s ‘digital Bangladesh’ plan.
Another member of the committee said the Awami League had come to power on the slogan ‘digital Bangladesh’ and pledged to curb corruption with the help of information technology, but the slogan was yet to be fully materialised.
The parliamentary watchdog also advised the government to transfer the telecommunications division to the ministry of information and communication technology from the ministry of post and telecommunications.
 ‘We have asked the ICT ministry to send a proposal to the prime minister to transfer the telecommunications wing to the ICT ministry,’ said the chairman of the committee.
He said that computer education should be made compulsory at the primary level to build an IT-based society.
Committee members Syed Abul Hossain, KM Khalid, Fazilatunnesa and Syeda Ashifa Ashrafi Papia (BNP) attended the meeting.