Source : www.bccbd.org/khaled/itpolicy.htm 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Subject : 

• Preamble 
• Vision 
• Mission 
• Objectives 
• IT Policy Statements and Recommendations

5.1 Human Resources Development
5.2 IT Infrastructure
5.3 Research and Development in IT
5.4 IT Industry
5.4.1 Software Industry
5.4.2 Hardware Industry
5.5 e-Commerce 
5.6 e-Governance
5.7 Legal Issues
5.8 Security and Defence
5.9 Health Care
5.10 Social Welfare
5.11 Transportation
5.12 Tourism
5.13 Environment
5.14 Regional and International Cooperation 
6.0 Implementation and Monitoring
6.1 Institutional Arrangement
6.2 Funds and Resources 
Appendix-A Action Plan
Appendix-B Present IT Scenario of Bangladesh 

IT POLICY OF BANGLADESH (Draft) 

1.0 Preamble 
1.1 Information Technology (IT) encompasses the broad fields of data/information processing and communications by means of computer and telecommunications techniques and tools and used for organisational/personal information processing in all sectors of economy and society of a nation. This document presents the policy guidelines and recommendations for the development of the IT sector in Bangladesh. 

1.2 IT is one of the most rapidly growing technologies in the world. The developed countries of the world have achieved a high degree of standard of living, primarily because of their ability to use IT as an effective tool for achieving national objectives.
These countries have improved the standard of living of their people and the national economy through the cultivation and application of IT. On the other hand, the developing countries have fallen behind primarily because of their backwardness in this sector. 
1.3 A dependable information system is essential for the management and operation of the public and private sectors for large volume of data transactions. There is a shortage of locally and externally generated information needed for efficient performance of these sectors.In order to meet this objective, IT use in every sphere shall have to be accelerated in terms
of information generation, utilization and applications. 
1.4 The document discusses the key issues of IT use and application in government, education and economy. Issues like IT-based income generation, better public and private service provision, exports, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, IT infrastructure development, human resource development, standards, cyber law, protection of privacy and data security have been given equal importance. 
1.5 The limitation of resources, shortage of skilled manpower, inadequate research facilities and skill development programmes, lack of coordination among research organizations, outmoded course curricula of science and technology education and poor social conciousness of the role of IT in nation building are the major factors contributing to this situation. Over the last few years, many nations have tackled the threats and grabbed the opportunities afforded by IT within a policy framework, to lay down guidelines and proceeded with the formulation of a national IT strategy as a part of the overall national development plan. 

2. 0 Vision 
To be a complete IT-driven nation comprising knowledge-based societies by the the year 2010. 

3.0 Mission 
Build up a country-wide info infrastructure to ensure access to information by every citizen to facilitate empowerment of people and enhance democratic values and norms for sustainable economic development. Use this info infrastructure for human resources development, state-governance, e-commerce, banking, public utility services and all sorts of on-line IT-enabled services. 
4. 0 Objectives 
4.1 The need for an IT policy for the development of the IT sector within the framework of overall national development is now well recognised. To this end, creation of a firm foundation for an information infrastructure in the society that meets the basic information needs for the state governance and socio-economic activities is also recognised.
Specifically, the IT policy has been framed to fulfil the following objectives : 
4.2 Promote, facilitate and assist the use and application of IT in Bangladesh with a view to improving the quality of life of its people and acquire the necessary capability to meet the challenge of rapidly growing demands of the information age; 
4.3 Create opportunity for all citizens, including the disadvantaged and those living in remote areas to have adequate access to Information Technology; 
4.4 Set up appropriate IT organisational and institutional structures with clearly defined functionality and delegation of authority; 
4.5 Formulate measures to develop world-class human resources in various areas of IT and identify ways to implement it; 
4.6 Collect and disseminate information on IT and related subjects; 
4.7 Improve the skill level of IT personnel already working in various fields; 
4.8 Establish and maintain professional standards of IT education and training; 
4.9 Popularize information culture, i.e, create IT awareness among administrators, teachers and general public; 
4.10 Take up programs to educate leaders, both in the public and private sectors, on the appropriate use and benefits of IT in nation building; 
4.11 Devise plans for the use of IT to increase productivity, improve the quality and effectiveness of production and trading, as well as to promote gradual modernization of the production sectors and important services; 
4.12 Liberalize acquisition of IT products, services and human resources in the public sector for rapid office automation; 
4.13 Plan, develop and promote IT-based systems and communication facilities as an integrated network, with software, information systems and databases for ministries, departments and agencies. Extend and intensify communications and information networks to support electronic transactions; 
4.14 Offer fiscal measures for rapid growth of IT in the country; 
4.14 Encourage local and foreign investment in IT and IT related industries; 
4.15 Establish country-wide National Information Infrastructure and connect it with the Global Information Superhighway; 
4.16 Develop and improve IT infrastructure for rapid growth of IT in public and private sectors; 

4.17 Establish National Information Technology Industry Institutes (NITII) to study, propose, prototype and develop necessary technologies required to offer various value added services; 
4.18 Encourage, promote, facilitate and assist in the establishment, development and expansion of IT services industry and make full use of all opportunities for technology transfer for producing modern informatics equipment and components; 
4.19 Identify software, data processing services (DPS) and IT-enabled services (ITES) as priority sectors and formulate steps for export of software, DPS, and ITES; 
4.20 Conduct and coordinate research and development actvities on the adoption of IT for its successful application in the socio-econmic development of the nation; 
4.21 Ensure Data security and protection through formulation and enforcement of necessary Cyber Laws. 
5.0 IT Policy Statements and Recommendations 
5.1 Human Resources Development 
5.1.1 The Information age has raised the importance of IT skills both in the workplace and civil society. The computer literacy rate in Bangladesh is relatively poor due to insufficient facilities for IT education in the primary, secondary and higher levels of education. Lack of such skills on a national level will pose a barrrier to Bangladesh competing effectively in
the global economy. Therefore, any IT human resource development policy will encourage widespread IT literacy and an adequate supply of IT professionals to support economic goals. 
5.1.2 Formal Training: There is an acute shortage of skilled manpower in the IT field world-wide. With the increased number of computer and peripherals used by public and private organizations, individuals, education and research institutions, there is a
need for adequate number of trained man-power in various fields of IT such as software development, hardware maintenance, systems analysis, computer aided design/manufacturing, courseware design and development, network administration /management, network design, statistical analysis of databases, data communications, etc. The country needs to produce a large number of skilled IT manpower immediately to meet this challenge. 
5.1.3 Universities, Bangladesh Institute of Technologies, colleges and polytechnics both in the public and private sectors should be strengthened to produce IT graduates/personnel in four-year Computer Science/Engineering and three-year Computer Science courses. Post graduate degree programmes in IT related areas should be introduced in all major public
and private Universities. Earmark two universities among the proposed S&T universities in the FFYP with higher allocation of resources to build strong focus on IT. A specialized institute for multimedia shall be established to produce skilled human resources to exploit the opportunity offered by the growing multimedia-market. Diploma and Trade courses in IT may be offered by both public and private institutes. The Directorate of Manpower which trains unemployed youth shall emphasize on IT skill training in its development programme.The continual skill upgrading of existing professionals working in public and private sectors shall be ensured by inservice training programme to be conducted by specialised institutions. 
5.1.4 The shortage of trained and qualified teachers and trainers is also a major problem. Due emphasis must also be given to produce instructors/trainers by conducting intensive post graduate diploma courses at specialized IT teacher training institutes. IT literacy shall be made a mandatory requirement in the recruitment and selection of teachers. Arrange training and retraining periodically to keep them up-to-date with the technological progress in the area of IT. 
As it would be difficult to train teachers in IT in large number using the present infrastructure, deploy virtual IT teachers wherever possible. CD based courseware development and use shall be encouraged to promote computer based education at all level of education. 
5.1.5 The exposure to IT of students at an early age will build strong foundation and confidence to enter into IT profession. The computer study is not yet introduced in the primary level although it has been introduced in the SSC as optional subject and at the HSC level as fourth subject. There shall be widespread introduction of IT education in public and private schools. 
5.1.6 Government support should be extended for introduction of computer courses, for training of teachers for schools and colleges and for providing proper laboratory and computer facilities in these institutions. 
5.1.7 To address the issue of deficiency in English and mathematics education, a crash programme shall be taken to train teachers. To ensure standard and quality of IT education, a national certification/examination system shall be developed and implemented immediately. Those who qualify under this system shall get recognition at the national level for employment. 
5.1.8 Software industry is one of the essential components of IT industry with a huge global market. It is still largely dependent on human resources and many developing countries are taking advantage of this opportunity. Bangladesh should strive to enter in the world software export market, and for this, needs to develop ISO standard professional software development and data entry services trained manpower. 
5.1.9 In addition to this, teachers and researchers on IT, experts on preperaing manuals, maintenance and repair of computer equipment, system engineers for installation and maintenance of software systems, engineers in networks of computer and communications, experts on economical analysis on information systems and experts in managing information projects will be required. 

5.1.10 The use of IT as a teaching tool and for delivery of distance learning can help stretch our limited teaching resources and provide a high quality education to all. 

5.2 IT Infrastructure 
5.2.1 The information infrastructure, comprising all information related institutional bodies, networks, databases, broadband communication and broadcasting systems, is the backbone of the modern information age. Without adequate information infrastructure a country will be unable to reap the rewards of the information age and will be excluded from the global information superhighway and the cyberspace. IT is a tremendously fast growing technology (industry) and many developed countries already reached to a commendable position in IT. Even, recently a large number of developing nations made unprecedented progress in this sector. To catch the technological capability and the level of expertise of these countries in IT and attain a sustainable growth of IT sector of Bangladesh and to compete in the expanding global IT market, a separate IT ministry is to be immediately established in Bangladesh. 
5.2.2 In order to enter into the global highways of data communication and global IT market, the country needs nation-wide telecommunication coverage for both broadcasting and communications and a national Internet backbone which would ensure universal public access through public institutions such as libraries, schools and community centres. Private initiatives and competition is the only way to generate the high investment required and adequately assess the best technological solutions. The role of the Government should be to create a regulatory environment that facilitates the rapid growth of all networks, promoting interoperability, data security and protection of intellectual property rights. 
5.2.3 The government has already approved The National Telecommunication Policy, 1998. Development of local technological capabilities gained through a local IT industry, preferably with state support, should be emphasized and growth rate in IT spending of minimum 25% per annum must be targeted. The services component of the IT industry should be
conducted by local private firms, possibly in association with foreign firms. In fact, the knowledge transfer that comes with foreign firms is extremely important and may help create a world-class industry and IT professional services sector. The World Trade Organization (WTO) aims to eliminate tariffs on IT products by the year 2000 for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and 2005 for the other signatories which means a policy of traiff reductions and supply-side support measures must be followed. This approach is very suitable to IT because the major benefits from IT lie in its application and not in its production. 
5.2.4 It is a fact that diffusion of Information Technology in developing countries is being severely restricted because of poor telecom infrastructure. Although, we are now connected with Internet through a number of ISPs, there should not be a public sector monopoly for providing access to the Internet to the general public. Interconnection between private sector providers
of email services should be permitted. At the same time, data traffic of pornographic, subversive and matters prejudical to state principles via Internet should be regulated by the Law of the Land. 
5.2.5 The whole of Bangladesh should be brought under telecommunication networks at the shortest possible time and all existing telecommunication channels using analog switching should be converted to digital systems by the Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph Board (BTTB) and whole of Bangladesh should be brought under PSTN by the shortest possible time. The BTTB should create facilities for low-cost high-speed data communication link with western countries and to set up ISDN/HDSN lines throughout the country. Especially it is required to introduce high bandwidth T1, E1, OCx, etc. lines and data transmission channels at 256 kbps and above. Telecom sector should be privatized and derugulated as much as possible in phases. In particular, telecom facilities should be extended to rural and remote regions based on usage patterns, perception of service quality, and perception of fairness of charges. 
5.2.6 The high speed fibre optic communication channel of Bangladesh Railway should be used for setting up of a national data communication network for nationwide transmission of data. This will provide the infrastructure, services for all demands of data communication of the society. The national data communication network must provide high speed channels to all
district headquarters for data transmission by point-to-point or multi-point linking, on-line data transmission to decentralized databases, linking local area networks to create a wide area network, organizing email networks and all kinds of information transmission such as voice, fax, data, image and texts, etc. 
5.2.7 IT industrial areas in relatively high technology zone of the country shall be established through foreign technology transfer with the cooperation of foreign experts and expatriate Bangldeshis. Software Technolgy Parks (STPs) with satellite data communication facilities shall be established and software development/export companies should be encouraged to set up offices in those parks at preferential terms. 
5.2.8 A central depository for collection and dissimentation of IT information and research findings should be developed. This should be done under a network, connecting all universities, libraries and research organizations to this central depository which in turn should be connected to the Internet. 

5.3 Research and Development in IT 
5.3.1 The success and failure of information industry depend on the manpower expertise in software development and hardware adaptation. The strategy for research, training and development in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Bangladesh is not adequate compared to other competitors in the region. 
5.3.2 IT is a rapidly changing technology for which training, education, research and development is very much needed. Research and development in IT should focus on applied research, giving the potential to implement well the technology and knowledge transfer, contributing to the improvement of quality and efficiency of the application of IT in our country. 
5.3.3 The Executive Body, appointed by the National Council for Information Technology (NCIT) will coordinate IT related research activities carried out by the public and private sector key institutions. The NCIT shall act in a manner that facilitates flourishing the private sector initiatives for R&D activities for steady and fast dgrowth of economy as targeted in the Five Year Plan. 
5.3.4 The Ministry of Information Technology will formulate plans to vigorate need-based R&D activities in Universities, BITs, Colleges, Polytechnics, and public & private sector R&D institutions and involve the younger generation in these activities. By providing assistance and preferential incentives, the MOIT should encourage setting up of IT research and
development sections in various branches and localities, in the companies belonging to different economic sectors with investment from local or foreign joint-venture sources. 
The industry may fund for R&D activities for new IT products and services through Industry-Academia collaboration. The Executive Body of NCIT shall act as the coordinating agency. 
Set up a central on-line data bank for scientific and technological information which can be accessed by educational institues and other R&D organisations. 

5.4 IT Industry 

5.4.1 IT Software Industry 
For spearheading the IT revolution, Bangladesh must actively develop an IT industry.Since this industry is a new one in Bangladesh, it requires careful analysis and consideration to avoid possible risks and wastes. Utmost priority shall be given to
the development of software industry and improvement of service skills. 
5.4.1.1 A national software development plan (NSDP) shall be formulated to develop domestic software market and minimize dependencies on foreign made software; 
5.4.1.2 An export target of 1 (one) billion US dollar shall be set for the next 3-year period. The target shall be revised periodically to match the growth of the market. 
5.4.1.3 All custom software development and package adaptation should be performed locally while imports of systems software and packaged application software, dominated by a small number of internationally standard and interoperable products, may be allowed for imports.After the local software industry reaches a certain stage of maturity, through a process of
experience accumulation and development, it will be able to reach the export market. 
5.4.1.4 Research and development institutes, institutions of informatics in the universities and private IT companies in the country shall be encouraged to develop software applications by favourable and preferential conditions such as immunity from taxation or priority low rates for software products, protection of intellectual property of software products, assist with
exports, encouragement and financing of training and sending staff abroad to take part in international seminars and exhibitions. 
5.4.1.5 The government shall extend start-up financial support to encourage and assist the establishment of centres in public and private sectors for software promotion. Expatriate Bangladeshi experts shall be imbued to return to cooperate and assist in setting up of software development centres and encouraged by incentives such as equity participation by state, stock contributions, subsidies and preferential credits, procurement of partners in joint ventures, etc. 
5.4.1.6 Associations of software companies and developers should be encouraged to exchange ideas, experiences and organize collective operations such as seminars, training, taking part in transaction and trading delegations, familiarizing oneself with contracts and rules in the exchange on commercial software, etc. 
5.4.1.7 There is a bright prospect of export of software, data processing services and IT-enabled services from Bangladesh. Efforts for software export from Bangladesh should be made with particular emphasis on fiscal incentives, human resource development, development of infrastructure facilities, market exploration and promotion. A task force may be created for software export and the Ministry of Commerce should be entrusted to implement the recommendations. The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) should take vigorous steps to identify and explore markets for export of software from Bangladesh, including promoting strategic partnership and outsourcing opportunites. 

5.4.2 Hardware Industry 
5.4.2.1 Hardware industry often requires a huge capital investment and entrepreneurs shall be encouraged to establish production facilities for IC components, PC motherboards, peripherals and accessories with joint venture cooperation and technology transfer agreements. Foreign owned and multinationals companies who will establish such production facilities in Bangladesh and employ our workforce shall be offered incentives as per the rules on foreign investment in the country. Since the local market is small, the hardware industry shall target the export market. Dependence on foreign materials should be reduced where possible by giving incentives to local companies and protecting them from unfavourable competition. Local institutions and R&D organizations shall also be encouraged for research, design, and manufacturing of specialized informatics equipments. 
5.4.2.2 The most defining features of computer hardware and communications equipment products are their large economies of scale and technological complexity. The lack of large local markets means that any industry development strategy must be based on export promotion. There shall be a review of technology licensing policies and the promotion of exports or Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in IT services. Greater emphasis must be given to policies geared to acquiring foreign technology on favourable terms and building local technological capabilities through this interaction. Whether foreign technology is acquired through FDI or licensing, these deals must involve some commitment to the training of local personnel to avoid long term reliance on imported technology. IT multinationals may be induced to locate export-based production in Bangladesh. At the same time, local technological capabilities should include support for domestic R&D and human resource development. 
5.4.2.3 Service Industries: Bangladesh, having the advantage of cheap labour, must endeavour for expansion and export of data entry services at home and abroad. This sector may provide substantial short term benefits since it does not require highly skilled professionals. 

5.5 e-Commerce 
The Internet, Intranets and Extranets provide links between the components of a business and its customers, suppliers, and other business partners - both at home and abroad. This has opened up the opportunity to the trade and commerce sector to engage in three basic categories of electronic commerce applications: business-to-business, business-to-customers, and internal business processes. 
The Government should promote the use of electronic transactions and to create an environment in which these transactions will be completely secure. 
Authentication of the identities of both buyer and seller or the involved parties in an electronic transaction is crucial to promote e-commerce within the country. A certification authority for issuance and management of digital certificates that are needed to secure electronic transactions has to be established. 
Use of international credit cards like VISA, MasterCard etc. should be encouraged. At the same time development of legal framework to provide the guiding principles, rules and legislation for e-commerce should be put in place. 

5.6 e-Governance 
5.6.1 In most countries, the Governemnt is the largest user of computers and related technology with the objective of enhancing public service delivery through Information Technology. They are often expected to be model users of these technologies. Encouraging the diffusion of IT within public sector services is fundamental to supporting the social and developmental goals of the country. The application of IT within the public administration can improve efficiency, reduce the wastage of resources, enhance planning and raise the quality of services. However, the focus of most computing in public sector has been on supporting traditional administrative and functional transactions rather than that of effective delivery of service to the public. 
5.6.2 Governments should implement large scale computer systems to assist in managing large volumes of transactions that occur in the public service each day. The experiences of most public sector organizations in implementing information technology-based solutions have demonstrated the need for managerial, technical and operational IS/IT capabilities. 
New opportunities for improving the operations of public sector entities and for delivering government services through electronic shall be examined and implemented accordingly. 
5.6.3 Development of National Data Resource Centre Network: It is necessary to establish as soon as possible a network of management information systems of different ministries, sectors and localities in accordance with a unified programme. All Government ministries , important departments and all district headquarters must be networked to the National Data Resource Centre in shortest possible time. The Centre shall be a system of national databases having capacity to store and supply rapidly all necessary information on the economic, cultural and social situation of our country, as well as to provide other relevant information, such as on education, health, agriculture, industry, natural resources and data based on geographical remote-sensing, environment and ecology for state bodies having the responsibility in the respective areas. These information systems - after processing, integration and treatment shall provide the Government and different state management agencies with the set up of plans and projects of national development, supplying services of information to all activities of production, business, economic and cultural research. 
5.6.4 Each ministry, divisions, government bodies shall create an IT cell, to be managed and run by well-trained IT professionals to plan, coordinate and implement IT projects and services. Special compensation package shall be introduced to encourage IT professionals. 
Make IT literacy a mandatory requirement for the recruitment and selection of officials and staffs in the government. IT-literacy shall also be given due importance in the ACR to ensure utilization of IT in the public services. 

5.7 Legal Issues 
5.7.1 The issue of information protection and guarantee of reliability and security is important. The lack of intellectual property protection, data security and interoperability have negative impact on both the use of IT and the incentive to introduce IT products into the market. 
5.7.2 Computer Crimes such as software piracy, unauthorised use/copying of software, computer fraud, hacking and damage to programs and data and introducing/spreading computer viruses should be covered by appropriate penal codes. 
5.7.3 Data security and interoperability should be ensured through actions such as setting of encryption standards and international agreements on interoperability. 

5.8 Security and Defense 
5.8.1 National defense and security are the fields which require the use of most modern achievements of science and technology. Use and applications of computers and IT in managing and developing defense capabilities at the present time is small and needs to be accelerated. The scope of IT application in these fields is very large ranging from general issues on management and technical improvement to profession-specific problems. 

5.9 Health Care 
The main focus in Healthcare shall be the use of IT and communication technologies to deliver new capabilities for hospitals and healthcare providers, specifically in the areas of electronic medical records and tele-medicine. 
Electronic Medical Record system should aim to capture a patient's medical history and make it accessible to different doctors and specialists. The system can monitor medical records for all patients, and takes care of the billing, payment and creation of medical record folders. 
Another significant introduction can be wireless online system for medical reporting and orders for nursing care plans, prescriptions, lab tests radiology examinations. The system would provide medical staffs at the nursing station greater mobility and convenience. 
IT must be introduced to facilitate the booking of appointments and referrals across the healthcare management network of Bangladesh. General practitioners and polyclinic staff should be able to search on online directory of specialists and make outpatient bookings over the Internet. 

5.10 Social Welfare 
To ensure the widest possible involvement of the mass people and communities in IT, benefits of computers and communication resources need to be provided at the village levels. Such systems must be utilized for rural development activities, agricultural and horticulture extension for farmers, career guidance for youth, technology guidance for rural enterprises, micro level planning etc. Communities and user groups or beneficiaries would be actively encouraged to particiapte, in all such activities. 
Public grievances redressal may be incorporated in the IT-based system to facilitate access to citizens through any of the kiosks, public facilitation centres or Government offices. It would be made email based and strengthened to facilitate monitoring and on-line responses. 
NGOs and non-government organisations would be encouraged to establish centres at the village level for providing hardware/software or other support services. At the same time the state would use both the formal and non formal channels to disseminate information about the application, advantages to communities of the use of IT. 

5.11 Transportation 
The state shall introduce an IT-based integrated transport management system involving Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), Bangladesh Railway and other concerned agencies. Linking up of current and future traffic monitoring system, processing data on traffic pattern and conditions, and delivering the information quickly to government agencies, public through traffic signs, pagers, mobile phones, broadcast media and the Internet shall be done. With the advent of such a system, it will be possible to know when the next train or bus will arrive and be warned of traffic congestion. 
Commercial transport agencies can use the real-time information for dynamic route planning and the data accumulated can be used for future traffic planning which would be highly beneficial for fast growing cities like Dhaka. 
IT should also be used to provide online booking and ticketing services. Bangladesh Railway, BRTC, and other related organisations may be brought under a network that would offer the booking and purchase of tickets over the Internet. Those buying tickets on the Internet should be able to get their seats allocated immediately and to make electronic payments securely and conveniently. 
Software technology may be developed for road guidance through which large vehicle fleets will be able to plan their routes and respond to unforeseen circumstances. Advanced communications tecnologies such as the Internet, Global Positioning System aned mobile networks, and electronic maps with text and image databases shall be used to enhance the decision-making process. This advanced system should take orders, plan routes, dispatch vehicles and ensure optimum use of time, petrol, distance travelled and number of vehicles. If a vehicle breaks down, it can even adjust the fleet schedule and assign the job to another vehicle. Such system design should take into account for easy integration with existing and new transportation and logistics applications and should be tested for commercial operations. 

5.12 Tourism 
Tourism is one of the fastest growing international industries that will continue to expand rapidly in the near future. It creates economic and emplouyment opportunity. To harness the potential of the tourism industry in Bangladesh, Information Technology can act as an important catalyst. The recommendations are : 
Make use of Information Technology to project tourists' attractions in Bangladesh. 
Develop a reliable, comprehensive, on-line information system to satisfy the needs of the visitors for travel and accommodation to deliver instant and up-to-date informaton. 
Strengthen partnership with both the local and foreign agencies relevant to tourism and encourage to introduce on-lime reservation for travel and accommodation, booking and ticketing for arts and entertainment events and shopping. 

5.13 Environment 
The growing environmental problem has endangered the national communities including the human existence. In this era of wired world, the Information Technology can help build the capabilities to fight against the environmental degradation. The policy recommendations are: 
Create awareness about environment among the common mass by deploying Information Technology in collecting and disseminating information on environmental problems and their causes. 
Identify and build an information system for plants, animal, their habitats and other natural communities whose life has been endangered. 
Develop computer network for quick information collection and distribution to and from all other agencies involved in the environment protection. 
Deploy GIS and other IT-based systems for planning at the national level for conservation of nature while accommodating compatible land use to maintain the ecological balance. 
Make use Information Technology to help solve the most pressing problems of environment in the metropolitan areas - toxic emissions from cars and industry. Encourage the concerned agency to deploy computer-based systems for checking and monitoring toxic emissions from motor vehicles. 

5.14 Regional and International Cooperation 
The Ministry of Information Technology shall explore and execute sub-regional and international cooperation and collaborative agreements on IT with developed and developing countries and also with international agencies. 
6.0 Implementation and Monitoring 
6.1 Institutional Arrangement for Implementation 
6.1.1 The role of the National Council for Information Technolgy (NCIT) as the central coordinating agency assumes critical importance as the implementing body. The NCIT shall advise the Government on IT sector which would help realize the stated objectives and then assign the Ministry of Information Technology for carrying them to successful completion and ensure their high performance. The Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) may act as the backbone of an executive body for implementing objectives enumerated in the policy. BCC may, from time to time, in respect of a specified matter or class of matters, by writing, delegate any of its power to a member, officer, comittee or agent of the council. 
6.1.2 The above mentioned executive body shall be constituted with at least twelve members drawn from the Ministry of Science & Technology, Ministry of Post & Telecommunication, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Commerce, and Ministry of Industries, Chambers of Commerce and eminent persons who have shown capacity, in matters connected with computer and Information Technology, economics, finance, education, engineering, science or technology. The Chairman of the NCIT shall appoint one of the members of the council to be the chairman of the executive body. 

6.2 Funds and Resources 
6.2.1 Special efforts should be made to ensure adequate resources for the effective implementation of IT policies. 
6.2.2 All economic sectors should be encouraged to make their own investment in the application of IT in production, trade and services. Procurement and utilization of funds from national sources, both public and private, should be pursued. International development and donor agencies should be approached to provide funds to set up necessary infrastructure and development of human resources, conforming to the objectives of IT Policy. 
6.2.3 A centralized fund for R&D in IT sector may be created. The NCIT may allocate funds to various IT organizations and public universities and distribute them through the Ministry of Information Technology which would monitor and evaluate the impact of such expenditure. The administration of the programmes will, however, remain with the respective organization. 

Appendix-A 

Action Plan - Vision 2010 
Three categories of Action Plan: 
Short-Term Plan - 2002 
Medium-Term Plan - 2005 
Long-Term Plan - 2010 

Area of concentration : 
Human Resources Development (HRD) 
IT Infrastructure Development (IISD) 
Research and Development (R&D) 
E-Governance (EG) 
Socio-Economic Development (SED) 
Security and Legal Issues (SLI) 
IT Industry (ITI) 
Other Areas 
Short Term Action Plans - by 2002 
HRD1(s) - The public and private universities and BITs should double the intake to produce sufficient number of IT graduates. These institutions should also start one-year application oriented post graduate diploma courses on IT. 
HRD2(s) - Infrastructural capabilities of colleges should be strengthened to produce IT graduates in 4 year courses in Computer Science/ Technology. One-year post graduate diploma programmes should be introduced in all major public and private colleges. 

HRD3(s) - Diploma and Trade courses in IT may be offered by technical training institutes and polytechnics. The Ministry of Education and the Directorate of Technical Education should encourage the unemployed youth for these trainings/courses. 
HRD4(s) - Due emphasis must be given to produce qualified teachers/trainers by conducting intensive post graduate diploma courses at selected institutes. 
HRD5(s) - The continual IT skill upgrading of existing professionals must be ensured by in-service training programmes to be conducted by specialised institutions. 
HRD6(s) - A national standard IT course curriculum and certification/examination procedure should be introduced. 
IISD1(s) - A separate ministry to expedite the growth of IT industry in Banglaesh shall be established immediately. 
EG1(s) - To accelerate activities for sustainable development in the IT sector, the National Council for Information Technology (NCIT) shall be formed under the Ministry of Information Technology and to be headed by the Honorable Prime Minister. 
IISD2(s) - National information infrastructure should be built to ensure Internet access to public and private institutions such as libraries, educational institutions, community centres, R&D organisations, etc. by the year 2002. 
EG2(s) - Data security and protection of intellectual property rights should be ensured through enactment of legal framework to create an environment that facilitates rapid growth of all networks and promotes interoperability, 
EG3(s) - Data traffic of pornographic, subversive and matters prejudicial to state principles via internet should be regulated by the Law of the Land. 
IISD3(s) - Information Technology Villages (ITVs) with high speed data communication facilities should be established and software development/export companies should be encouraged to set up offices in those parks at preferential terms. 
IISD4(s) - A national data communication network must be established providing highspeed channels for point-to-point or multi-point data transmission with all kinds of information transmission such as voice, texts, fax, data, image, video etc. 
RD1(s) - National Council for Information Technology (NCIT) should form a National Task Force headed by a cabinet minister to co-ordinate the research and development activities in IT to be implemented by key public and private institutions and R&D organisations. 
SLI1(s) - Data security and interoperability should be ensured through actions such as setting of encryption standards and international agreements on interoperability. 
SLI2(s) - Computer Crimes such as software piracy, unauthorised use/copying of software, computer fraud, hacking and damage to programs and data and introducing/spreading computer viruses should be covered by appropriate penal codes and IT acts. 
SLI3(s) - For the growth of domestic software market and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the IT sector Intellectual Property Rights/Software Copyright Law, 2000 shoud be implemented effectively. 
ITI1(s) - A National Software Development Plan (NSDP) should be formulated in order to develop domestic software market and minimise dependencies on foreign made software. 
EG4(s) - The Nationalised Commercial Banks (NCBs) shall setup venture capital to help entrepreneurs to establish centres for software development. 
IISD5(s) - Bangladeshi expatriates should be encouraged to setup such development centres through incentives such as equity participation by state, stock contributions, subsidies, preferential credits, joint ventures, etc. 
ITI2(s) - Bangladesh, having the advantage of cost effectiveness of labour and so shall endeavour for expansion and export of data entry and other IT-enabled services. 
EG5(s) - National standards for Bangla software, characeter codes, keyboard, etc. should be established in order to deliver services to people through computerised information processing and decision making as well as for the growth and development of domestic software industry. 
ITI3(s) - Institutions should be identified and developed for standardisation, testing and quality certification of all IT related products and services. 
EG6(s) - Concerned public and private organisations must allocate adequate resources to establish email, web site and network for office automation. 
RD2(s) - A centralized fund should be created under the aegis of NCIT for financing R&D activities by the public and private universities, R&D organisations in IT sector. 
IISD6(s) - Internet facilities to be introduced in all universities in Bangladesh. 
IISD7(s) - Cyberkiosks in all district headquarters, cities, and Upzilas to be established. 
EG6(s) - All institutions to have web sites and introduce e-mail. 

Medium Term Action Plans - by 2005 
HRD7(m) Computer studies should be introduced gradually by 2003 in every college, and by 2005 in every school. 
HRD8(m) To meet the growing demand of the IT personnel both for the domestic and global market, especialy in the fields of telecommunications and multimedia, one Information Technology University (ITU) and a Telecom University shall be established in the country . 
HRD9(m) Regular Training of The Teachers (3T) for IT eduaction should be assured. 
IISD8(m) Country-wide telecommunication network shall be established through high speed digital systems by BTTB and it should be linked to the global network. 
IISD9(m) A central depository for collection and dissemination of IT information and research findings should be developed. 
HRD9(m) Steps should be taken to formulate a plan for foreign training of personnel in IT development, including policies and measures to provide fellowships for students training or undertaking research abroad in the subjects and at the levels needed. 
SED2(m) IT experts of Bangladesh origin living abroad should be encouraged to return home by creating proper environments and providing them with adequate incentives for investment in IT in the country. 
EG7(m) Steps should be also taken to make IT-based policies on currency, finance, security of transactions, monetary stabilisation and economic management in general in order to introduce the fast growing electronic commerce in the country. 
EG8(m) A Market Promotion Fund to be administered by EPB has to be established for meeting the expenses of promoting Bangladesh in the global IT market as a potential source of Software and Data Processing Services. 
EG9(m) Computers and Internet access shall be made available in every school, college, university, BIT, polytechnic, public medical college and hospital in the country by the year 2005. 
Long Term Action Plans - by 2010 
RD2(l) Research & development in IT needs to be intensified and should focus on applied research, giving the potential to implement the technology and knowledge transfer, contributing to the improvement of quality and efficiency of the application of IT in our country. 
RD3(l) The Ministry of Information Technology is to formulate plans to initiate vigorous R&D activities in Universities/Polytechnics, Colleges and BITs, Companies belonging to economic sectors and involve the young generation in research and development activities. 
IISD10(l) For enhancing the capability of local IT industries, spending shall be gradually increased to achieve a margin of 1.5% of GDP by the year 2010. For service industry in IT, the joint collaboration with foreign counterparts should be encourgaed. 
IISD11(l) Efforts shall be made to strengthen existing networks like BERNET & BANSLINK and to establish a nation-wide data communication network for education, research and development for resource sharing under procedures and standard of the Internet and through a common gateway linkable to Internet. 
EG10(l) The government should implement large scale Information systems to assist in managing large volumes of transactions that occur in the public services each day. 
IISD12(l) A network of management information system comprising national databases to store and supply all necessary information for decision making by the state machineries should be establish including GIS under a unified programme. 
IISD13(l) Steps should be taken by the Bangladesh Bank to computerise all banks in the country with electronic and credit-card based transactions. 
SED3(l) The Government and other stake holders should assist in creating IT awareness among various levels of general public, disseminate information on computer, IT and related subjects by means of mass-media such as press, radio and television in order to establish a Knowledge-based society. 
EG11(l) Appropriate plans and strategies shall be put in place to ensure technology transfer through building and using proper IT infrastructure in the country. 
ITI4(l) For promoting locally developed software products, fifteen percent price preference shall be given. 
SED4(l) Research and development institutions, universities and private IT companies in the country should be encouraged to develop software applications in order to establish Bengali support for database, optical characeter recognition, web and e-commerce applications. 
ITI5(l) Promotion of hardware industries in the country should be encouraged to establish production facilities of PCBs, motherboards, peripherals, accessories with joint venture and technology transfer agreements. 
EG12(l) The Ministry of Information Technology should explore and execute sub-regional and international cooperation and collaborative agreements on IT with developed and developing countries and also with International Agencies. 
EG13(l) All sorts of Government publications and notifications have to be made available on the web. SROs, forms etc. to be made accessible through websites. 

Appendix-B 
5.0 Present Status of IT in Bangladesh 
To determine the status of IT resources distribution in Bangladesh, 1836 IT organisations were studied in a recent survey. The activities were found to spread over varied dimensions, such as, office automation, desktop publishing, hardware software development and marketing, human resources development etc. The following are the findings : 
Type of Organisation 
Percentage 
Hardware/Software Marketing 
10.9% 
Data processing Services 
6.2% 
Human Resources Development 
41.3% 
Users (Govt. Offices, Banks, NGOs, Private and Personal Users) 
26.3% 
Others 
15.2% 
The distribution of country-wide IT personnel on functional basis is computed from the surveyed data as: 
Teacher 
16.4% 
Database Management 
13.9% 
Systems Analyst 
2.6% 
Database Expert 
4.6% 
Network Expert 
4.6% 
Programmer 
6.5% 
Hardware Engineer 
5.2% 
DTP Operator 
4.2% 
Data Entry Operator 
44.7% 
Others 
0.7% 
The survey, thus, shows that about 50% of the IT people are working as computer operators of which 9% are involved in DTP and the rest in normal data entry/word processing operations. 
5.1 IT in the Fifth Five Year Plan 
The government put emphasis on IT in the Fifth Five Year Plan. Matters like establishment of high capacity fibre-optic telecommunication back-bone to develop multimedia infrastructure, building Local Information Infrastructure (LII) and National Information Infrastructure (NII) to assist for all kinds of nation building activities through IT have been given priority. Connectivity of the LIIs and NIIs to the GII (Global Information Infrastructure) like the Internet for making a common platform for scientists and technologists in home and abroad for collaborative works has been emphasised. Use of Internet for education, health-care, electronic trade and commerce have also been reiterated. For wide-spread use of IT, the present government has already exempted tax, VAT and duties from the import of software, computer hardware and other relevant goods, resulting in a reduction of the price of these commodities. This historical step has made a significant impact on the promotion and development of this sector. 
5.2 Present Status of IT Education and Training in Bangladesh 
In the context of the world scenario of human resource strength, ours is relatively poor. At the university level all national public universities and in particular new universities have started producing computer science graduates through opening computer science departments. Steps have been taken to implement computer education in the secondary and higher secondary levels. Since the last three years vigorous efforts have been made to improve the quality of IT education and research. The massive and strong participation by young people and their urge to become computer literate and develop professional competence are the most encouraging observation. The following table shows the number of seats for IT related subjects in various universities in Bangladesh. 
University 
No. 
Students per year 
Public University 
7 
297 
Private University 
12 
795 
National University 
1 
600 
BIT 
4 
240 
Total 
1932 
Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) conducts short-duration professional efficiency enhancement training program in IT. BCC has started its standard IT training program in Rajshahi division. Other divisional head quarters are to follow next year. The Bangladesh Institute of Communication and Information Technology (BICIT) has been included in the Annual Development Programme in 1999-2000 fiscal year. This institute will impart standard IT education, training, standardization and certification of IT related course curriculla and products. 
5.3 Telecom Infrastructure 
Telephone Status: In December, 1999 Bangladesh T&T Board has 474322 telephone lines connected throughout Bangladesh, 61% of them being digital. BTTB is converting all of its Analogue Exchanges into Digital Exchanges and the target is to complete all these conversion by the year 2002. 
Transmission Systems in Bangladesh: Bangladesh is a riverine country and BTTB's long route transmission systems are mainly composed of microwave, UHF and VHF radio links. The use of optical fibre is presently limited within some city areas for interconnecting local exchange and Remote Switching Units (RSU) in Multi Exchange Network. All Thana headquarters (the smallest administrative units) are connected with their respective districts through UHF links. Most of such UHF links are digital radio system. Some of the district headquarters are connected through digital UHF links. 
The major backbone transmission links in Bangladesh are presently using star formation network structure. Expansion and rehabilitation programme have been taken up for laying of 12 core Optical Fibre Cable between Dhaka and Chittagong, which is the busiest route and still analogue. 
Amongst the private Operators, Bangladesh Rural Telecom Authority (BRTA) have established a Microwave link between Dhaka and Sylhet. The most extensive transmission network is being established in the private sector by Grameen Phone, who are using the Fiber Optic Cable Network of Bangladesh Railway, available along the Railway route all over Bangladesh. Grameen Phone is also establishing a 140 Mbps Microwave link between Khulana and Chittagong via Barisal. 
International Telecommunication Facilities: Bangladesh commissioned its first Standard A Satellite Earth Station in 1975 at Betbunia to work with INTELSAT system, The international telecommunication facilities became easier and versatile after installation of Standard B Satellite Station at Talibabad, The third Satellite Earth Station along with an International Trunk Exchange (ITX) was commissioned in 1994 at Mohakhali in Dhaka. Another direct Satellite link was commissioned between Sylhet and London in June 1995. BTTB's overseas transmission routes are mostly dependent on these 4 satellite earth stations working with INTELSAT Satellites in IOR. These stations are characterized as follows: 
Beside these satellite links there is an overseas terrestrial microwave (analogue) route with India having 60 channels capacity to work between Dhaka and Calcutta. 

Telecommunication Status in Bangladesh (December, 1999) 
Number of Telephones 
602,986 
BTTB 
474,322 
Private Operators 
128,664 
Tele-density 
5 per 1,000 
Number of Cellular Telephones 
98,500 
Paging & Radio Trunking Subscribers 
7,000 
Telex Subscribers 
1,600 
Card Phones 
1,381 
Packet Switch Subscribers 
60 
International Voice Circuits 
2,107 
International Trunk Exchange 
3 
Total International Circuits 
3,936 
NWD Circuits 
21,930 
Switching 
61% 
Transmission 
75% 
VSAT 
51 
Computer Penetration 
1 per 7,000 
Internet Users 
50,000 
Satellite Earth Station 
4 
Privatization of Telecommunication Services : The telecommunication sector of Bangladesh has been liberalized for private investment except for International Voice Communication. All other forms of communications have private sector participation. Private Telecom Operators offer cellular mobile, paging and the radio truncking services as well as Internet services. Private operators are also given licenses for Basic Telephone Services in Rural Areas. 
Internet Services: The Internet Service businesses in Bangladesh were being privately run until recently with VAST connectivity mostly with Hong Kong and Singapore. ISPs in Bangladesh connect to the global Internet via VSAT links. BTTB also started its Internet services a year back. There are now more than 30 ISPs in Bangladesh with about 50000 users. 
5.4 IT Industry 
The IT industry is represented by two industry bodies, namely Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) and Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS). BASIS, established in 1998, is a relatively new industry association whose membership stands at 53 today and is growing steadily. All major software development and data-processing firms of the country are members of this body. BCS, on the other hand, was formed in 1987 and represents computer business firms, in general. Now its membership stands at more than 160. Many of the IT firms have membership to both of these associations. Major hardware and software manufacturers such as Acer, Compaq, Dell, Digital, HP, IBM, ICL-Fujitsu, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, SCO, Sun Microsystems, Unisys and others are being represented for many years in Bangladesh. 
The size of the IT industry is estimated at around USD 150 million which is growing at more than 20% each year. Among the major IT projects already done/undertaken in Bangladesh are: 
(1) Preparing a national voter database of more than 70 million people and producing computerized ID cards for each voter under a project that started in 1995. 
(2) Implementing the computerized nationwide seat reservation and ticketing system for Bangladesh Railway. 
(3) Preparing and administering the motor vehicles and drivers' registration database. 
(4) Establishing a National Data Bank which is an on-going state-funded project started in 1995; it will be the ultimate repository of all information of Bangladesh. 
(5) Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. Many national utility bodies (power, gas, telephony etc.) implemented or are going to implement SCADA systems over their national grid networks. 
(6) There are two stock exchanges in the country both of which have implemented automated securities trading systems in 1998. The Securities and Exchange Commission have undertaken the task of dematerializing securities and adopting an electronic central depository of securities within 1999. 
(7) The boards of secondary and higher secondary education process more than 30 million examination papers each year through automated OMR based computer system. 
(8) A project started in 1997 to produce a multimedia and hard copy versions of encyclopedias in Bangla with English translation. 
(9) The software and data-processing industry in Bangladesh has had a successful track record of exporting to the USA and Europe for more than a decade now. The areas of competency of the IT industry in Bangladesh are as follows: 
Web-page design and web-enable software development 
Multi-media design and publishing 
Alphanumeric data processing (from paper documents, scanned images and verbal recordings) 
Relational database applications development. Front-end tools used are Visual BASIC, Developer 2000, Power Builder, Access, FoxPro and others. Back-end systems used are Oracle, Informix, Sybase, DB2 and others. 
Device drivers for UNIX, Windows NT and Windows 95/2000. 
Y2K related database and program modification work. 
Euro-Money related database and program modification work. 
(10) Human resources for the IT industry have been growing rapidly since the govt. declared this industry as a thrust sector and has embarked on a mission to make the industry a substantial part of the USD 36 billion economy. The vital statistics for this sector are: 
More than 300,000 IT personnel are engaged in the industry 
Full exemption from income tax 
Working capital loan from banks at preferential interest rates and with no collateral requirement 
Absolutely duty and tax free import of computer hardware and software