ICT to get Tk 794cr facelift

The government will soon start implementing two projects worth Tk 794 crore to create large-scale employment and diversify exports in the ICT sector.
The projects, with most of the funds coming from the World Bank, will be placed at a meeting of the executive committee of the National Economic Council today.
One of the projects involve providing training to 10,000 graduates on software development and another 20,000 on information and communication technology servicing, under the supervision of Bangladesh Computer Council.
The project will also help expand the national data centre, set up a disaster recovery centre, introduce 'cloud computing' and provide ICT training to government officials.
The scheme, expected to take off this year for completion in January 2018, will cost Tk 572.48 crore, of which the WB will provide Tk 571.97 crore.
The other project entails developing an IT park at Kaliakoir in Gazipur at a cost of Tk 222.36 crore.
Of the total cost, the WB will provide Tk 185.17 crore as loan and UK's Department for International Development will extend grant of Tk 25.44 crore.
Though the IT park was set up on 232 acres of land between 2006 and 2010, it is yet to become operational due to a lack of amenities, said a planning ministry official.
“The project is aimed at developing the support infrastructure of the park, such that an export-oriented IT industry can be set up through public-private partnership,” the official said.
The project is expected to be complete in June 2016.