eGOVERNANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVES

eGOVERNANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVES

Iqbal MAHMOOD* - Ashfaqul I. BABOOL*

Abstract

Globally, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have emerged as a way to address some of the issues of non-transparency in administration, inefficiency in service delivery and absence of wider public participation in policy making. Indeed, eGovernance through ICTs such as mobile phones, TV and radio which are already in the hands of millions, and computers and internet, the spread of which is increasing rapidly, are ensuring citizen’s right to information, and bringing unprecedented efficiency, transparency and accountability to the government administration in developing countries including Bangladesh.

The Government of Bangladesh has found ICTs as a cost effective way to bring changes to administrative automation and public service delivery. In this country, mobile based utility bill payment system, phone and web assisted communication to ascertain market prices, computer assisted primary teacher recruitment, emergence of telemedicine, TV and radio call-in policy debates are but a few demonstrations in Bangladesh of the ways that ICTs have started to change how service delivery happens in the country, how the government machinery makes decisions and how citizens participate in policy making functions. The government offices are also increasingly using computers, emails, audio and video conferencing to increase their administrative efficiency and reduce associated costs. ICTs are thus being positioned as a non-threatening way to provoke reform in the government and many service delivery sectors.

As the financial barrier to ICTs is much lower than many other modern technologies, and as the future of human society is inextricably linked with ICTs, the Government of Bangladesh along with its private partners, NGOs as well as development agencies is coming to realize that Bangladesh as a country must embrace ICTs as a matter of policy and set an aggressive strategy to make up for the current lag and leapfrog into the ranks of top ICT-ready countries. There is also an obvious and visible shift in the country’s development strategies as a whole.

Keywords: eGoverence, ICT, Bangladesh.

* Ministry of Establishment, Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Dhaka/Bangladesh; [email protected]; [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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1. INTRODUCTION

In Bangladesh, eGovernance is vital not only for establishing a democratic and transparent government but also for fighting against poverty and acting as a cross-cutting enabler for interventions geared towards attainment of all of the millennium goals. It is also necessary for ensuring government accountability, decentralization and providing effective and efficient service delivery to citizens. If bidirectional information flow between citizens and government is effectively established, eGovernance provides the power of consensus building within a society, thus providing a voice for the poor and disadvantaged groups to contribute to policy building and implementation.

Globally, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have emerged as a way to address some of the issues of non-transparency in administration, inefficiency in service delivery and absence of wider public participation in policy making. Indeed, ICTs such as mobile phones, TV and radio which are already in the hands of millions, and computers and internet, the spread of which is increasing rapidly, are ensuring citizen’s right to information, and bringing unprecedented efficiency, transparency and accountability to the government administration in all developing countries, Bangladesh being no exception.

The Government of Bangladesh has found ICTs as a cost-effective way to bring changes to administrative automation and public service delivery. In this country, mobile based utility bill payment system, phone and web-assisted communication to ascertain market prices, computer-assisted primary teacher recruitment, emergence of telemedicine, TV and radio call-in policy debates are but a few demonstrations in Bangladesh of the ways that ICTs have started to change how service delivery happens in the country, how the government machinery makes decisions and how citizens participate in policy making. The government offices are also increasingly using computers, e-mails, audio and video conferencing to increase their administrative efficiency and reduce associated costs. ICTs are thus being positioned as a non-threatening way to provoke reform in the government and many service delivery sectors.

2. CURRENT SCENARIO: SERVICE DELIVERY

Government exists to execute authority and function to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules with the ultimate objective is to serve the citizen. The key objective of eGovernance/Services is to leverage technology to ensure delivery of such services to those who are the least served.

Unlike most developed countries, government is the key provider of citizen services and public information in Bangladesh. It is therefore the government’s prime responsibility to ensure delivery of these services effectively and efficiently. Leverage of ICT enables government to do just that. Following are a few of the recent examples of public services which are being delivered using ICTs.

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2.1. Secretaries' eGovernance Quick Wins

Towards the middle of 2008, through joint coordination of the Prime Minister’ Office (then Chief Adviser’s Office and the office of the head of government), Cabinet Division (the centre of bureaucracy) and the Ministry of Establishment (the ministry that is responsible for human resource management of the administrative cadre of the government), each of the 53 Secretaries of the Government of Bangladesh identified one service to be delivered electronically. These initiatives, collectively called the eGovernance’Quick Wins', were meant to quickly showcase the impact of the newly engineered service delivery mechanism to the citizens, receive their feedback and allow government the necessary preparation time for nationwide implementation. 17 of these quick wins have already been launched while the rest are in progress. Below are a few examples of those Quick-Wins.

A. Union Information and Service Centres

Union Parishads are the lowest unit of Local Government. The offices of Union Parishad are where rural citizens go for any kind of information and advice. In order to provide livelihood information at the community level, the UISCs were set up at the offices of Union Parishad. Following the successful model of a UNDP funded pilot “Community Electronic Centre (CeC)” project, these UISCs are built using a PPPP (Public, Private, People Partnership) model.

B. SMS-Based Utility Bill Payment

This has already enabled citizens to pay gas, electricity and land phone bills through mobile phones. Customers can go to thousands of private sector outlets or bill-pay centres to pay their utility bills and receive SMS acknowledgement instantly. This reduces the cost, time and hassle for citizens and increases revenue for the public sector by ensuring timely bill payment.

C. Dhaka City Corporation Call Centre

The DCC Call Centre is not only able to answer citizens’ critical questions but also take down their complaints. The call centre can be accessed by citizens through mobile phones, SMS, email and web sites.

The benefits for such a call centre for citizens will be:

a. more responsive, hassle-free information delivery to citizens on demand;

b. cost-effective mechanism for both citizens and the government;

c. increased transparency and accountability of the government to the citizens; and

d. higher efficiency and more informed prioritization of redressing citizens’ grievances.

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D. Personal Data Sheet

Government officers now use the software personal data sheet (PDS) to access personnel information from anywhere in the country over the web established by the Ministry of Establishment. This allows 90% of the officers who are not located in the capital city to access vital professional information. In future, this system will have performance based information to which they currently have access only through physical visits to concerned government departments. This system should signify a marked change in the way confidential information is handled within the government.

2.2. District Commissioners' Quick Wins

Similar to the Quick Wins identified by the Secretaries, the district administrators (called Deputy Commissioners or DCs) of all 64 districts of the country went through a participatory and collaborative process at the Prime Minister’s Office to identify one critical service delivery area to be improved through the use of ICTs. They include vital services such as land administration, issuing and renewal of passports and gun licenses, tax collection, monitoring of educational institutions under the DC’s jurisdiction, among many others. The completion target for many of these district level Quick Wins is end 2009.

2.3. Web Based Services

A. National Web Portal

The National Web Portal (www.bangladesh.gov.bd) is a citizen-centric gateway for all government information and services that can be accessed electronically. The website is positioned as the online one-stop shop for all government eServices and is providing information on the most popular citizen services, the basic information of the structure of Bangladesh Government, current news, upcoming events and other important information and links to all government ministries, divisions and departments.

B. Single Website with Downloadable Forms

This website (www.forms.gov.bd) reduces time and cost to access forms from many different organs of the government. Various government and non-government organizations are already using this site from around the country.

C. Web-enabled Personal Management System

This system, initially developed for the Ministry of Establishment, is gaining momentum for adoption in several other ministries and directorates including the Cabinet Division, Ministry of Education, Planning Commission, among other.

http://www.bangladesh.gov.bd/

http://www.forms.gov.bd/


3. CURRENT SCENARIO: KEY SERVICE SECTORS

Agriculture, health and education are the three most citizen-centric sectors of Bangladesh. Enhancement of these sectors is vital for the economic and social growth of the country. In the recent days, there have been quite a few ICT4D initiatives in these three sectors both by the government and the private sector. A few examples of those initiatives are given below:

3.1. Agriculture

The Government of Bangladesh recognizes ICT as an indispensable tool in the fight against poverty. Consequently, it is also understood that ICT can enhance the contribution to agriculture and rural development tremendously. eKrishi (eAgriculture) promotes a multi-stakeholder, people-centric, cross-sectoral platform that will bring together all stakeholders, especially farmers and enable them to access timely and relevant information, exchange opinions, experiences, good practices and resources related to agriculture.

eKrishi focuses on leveraging easily accessible ICTs including mobile phones, radio, TV etc. for information dissemination. With the aim of improving communication and learning processes between various actors, eKrishi promotes the integration of technology with multimedia, knowledge and culture. Facilitation, support of standards and norms, technical assistance, capacity building, education, and extension are all key components of eKrishi. In addition to introducing new technologies, eKrishi tends to improve the effectiveness of traditional communication channels and existing communication practices. Some of the eKrishi initiatives are below.

A. Agricultural Radio and TV Shows

The government-owned Bangladesh Television has been telecasting an agricultural TV show called “Mati-o-Manush” for over 30 years now. This is the oldest form of information dissemination through an electronic means. This is one of the most watched shows by the rural farmers and has recently been replicated by private TV channels. Currently, there is a Radio show called “Krishi Dibanishi” in which the farmers call in to have their agriculture related questions answered. This shows has also gained a lot of popularity.

B. Department of Agriculture Marketing Website

The Department of Agriculture Marketing (DAM) website provides commodity price information with the aim to involve all agriculture stakeholders, especially farmers in the decision making process. The database provides wholesale and retail prices of around 200 commodities from 30 of the 64 districts. The price information is collected daily and sent to the DAM headquarters in Dhaka through email.

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C. Soil and Land Resource Information System

The Soil and Land Resource Information System (SOLARIS) under Sugarcane Research and Development Institute is a 2 GB data repository that stores soil data using primary information from Upazila Nirdeshika from 460 districts. A customized GIS software SOLARIS-GIS maps soil data based on classification(Soil Texture, Landtype, Landform, Drainage, Slope, Surface Water Recession) and condition (Crop Suitability, Land Zoning, Nutrient Status and Fertilizer Recommendation).

D. Department of Agricultural Extension Website

In order to develop and strengthen the ICT department of DAE, the government has initiated a project called “The ICT Development of DAE”. The DAE website is one of the key components of the project. This website stores and disseminates field level information from and through extension workers.

E. Agriculture Information and Communication Centre

Ten of the Agriculture Information and Communication Centres (AICCs) are being set up leveraging the existing infrastructure of farmers’ field schools, farmers clubs and other community centres. These centres will be functioning as one-stop shops for farmers for all agriculture related information and services including market information, soil testing, crop diagnostic services, etc.

F. Fisheries Information and Communication Centre

These centres will be very similar to the AICCs, but more focused on fulfilling the farmers’ fisheries related information needs. The Department of Fisheries holds a wealth of information related to fish culture, their diseases and remedies, etc. The existing field workers are hardly enough for disseminating the information efficiently. The FICCs are hoped to mitigate this issue and improve the efficiency of information delivery.

G. Krishi Alaponi

Krishi alaponi is a call-in TV show for farmers in which they will be able to call directly to have their agriculture related questions answered and/or participate in agricultural policy debates, budget discussions etc. This will be done in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and a private mobile operator in Bangladesh.

3.2. Health

The Government of Bangladesh has been pursuing for a health system that ensures provision of basic health services to the entire population. The use of ICTs in health sector will help in maximum utilization of communication channels and


enhancing the existing services within the present resource allocation since it will reduce the waste in different fields. Data will be generated from all points of services to be available for use. Eventually people will have more access to information than ever before and an effective networking will be established. This flow of information will help to remove the misconceptions of health consumers, those who are now mostly in the dark due to the unavailability of adequate information and communication with the service providers. Some of the notable eHealth initiatives are below.

A. Oral Rehydration Therapy

Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) started a “Labon gur Sharbat”(a home remedy for diarrhea) campaign through mass media, which was carried out extensively by BRAC, the largest NGO in Bangladesh. Mass media campaign also played a crucial role in popularizing this cheap and effective home remedy. Special initiatives like School ORT program was also carried out.

B. Tele Counseling

Social Marketing Company (SMC) initiated a tele-counseling program named “Tele-Jiggasha” on reproductive health, family planning and STI/HIV/AIDS in the year 2001. It started with a mission of increasing access to information and personal counseling through telephone hotline with assurance of confidentiality. Separate numbers were dedicated for male and female callers. Male and female counselors replied to the queries of the callers. There also existed a mechanism for referral for required health care services.

C. Electronic Immunization Registry

In 2001, a new computerised information system to register, schedule and track immunisation of children was introduced by the Department of Public Health in Rajshahi City Corporation, Bangladesh. On a daily basis, the system uploads new entries from Rajshahi City Corporation's electronic birth registration system. For each new-born, a schedule of immunisation is created and printed, then given to the parents after registration of their baby's birth, attached to the child's birth registration ticket.

D. Health Line and Telemedicine

Health Line, the medical advice and consultation service of GrameenPhone was launched in October, 2007. Apart from the core medical consultation services, the caller of’789’ through GrameenPhone are also able to get additional medical information services; they can avail doctor and medical facility information, drug information, interpretation of laboratory test reports and data, and emergency support information as supplementary services. Currently, there are other mobile operators who have also started offering telemedicine services.

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E. Internet Connectivity at Upazilla Health Complex

All upazilla health complexes of Bangladesh have recently been connected to the internet. This enables them to communicate with the central offices at ease and provide services to the patients more efficiently. The physicians of these upazilla health complexes are also equipped with cell phones for remote consultations. Some of these centres also have tele-conferencing facility with which, they are able to communicate with the highest authorities of the Ministry of Health.

F. Health Alert through ICT

The government of Bangladesh has effectively used ICT during the outbreak of Bird flue in the recent times. People were informed about the situation and advised what to do. Steps taken by the Government to prevent the spread were shown on the electronic media. This is an excellent example of handling emergency efficiently through the use of ICT.

Other seasonal health alerts and messages on preventive measures are also sent to customers of mobile phones through SMS. Some of these messages are sent in Bangla for the non-English speaking customers.

3.3. Education

To address the challenges of the 21st century where a labourer from Bangladesh competes with one from Sri Lanka for a job in Malaysia, our country’s education system must re-invent itself to produce 21st century skills and 21st century confidence. The curriculum must incorporate material to develop the requisite skills; the teaching methods must embrace collaboration and creative problem solving for the locality; the system of assessment must measure whether the children are growing up to be good citizens and how much they can really contribute to nation building; and, most importantly, the educational governance must make sure the curriculum, teaching, and assessment deliver results that move the nation forward.

Not only the developed countries, but also the developing nations including Bangladesh are making increasing use of ICT to offer better services to the people and to ensure accountability and transparency. The use of ICT in all of its conceivable and readily available forms can enable us to achieve successes in the area of education.

A. Electronic Publication of Exam Results

The two major state certification exam results (SSC and HSC) are now published electronically. Previously, the procedure of viewing a student’s result was rather cumbersome which involved standing in long lines and flocking at the schools. With the new system, the students can receive their exam results through email or can view it via web or mobile.


G. GIS-Based Education Planning

This Geographic Information System (GIS) map-based software by BANBEIS is a powerful planning tool for the policy makers. It quickly helps identify areas for intervention based on priority criteria such as underserved status, poor teacher training, lacking or disaster-affected infrastructure, and other critical educational issues.

H. Digital Content for Education

Many of the NGOs of the country including BRAC, which has an extensive network of schools in the country, have started producing audio-visual content for teacher training and students. Although in its infancy at the moment, the digital content for education is being planned as a significant thrust area of the country at the moment with many public-private partnership efforts developing. Thousands of schools are being equipped with modest computers laboratories, internet connection is spreading quickly to secondary educational institutions and digital content is increasingly being used to improve the quality of science, mathematics and English education in secondary schools.

3.4. ICT as Business Sector

A. Bangladesh Software and IT Industry

Though the current size of Bangladesh IT Industry and software/ITES industry in particular is still lot smaller compared to the overall economy and the number of population (over 140 million), over the last few years the industry has grown considerably and is expected to grow at that rate for some time. It is estimated that during the last five years the average yearly growth rate of software & ITES industry has been over 40%. The growth has been driven by both good export trends in recent years as well as the growing IT automation demand in domestic market (local demand has been led by large automation projects by telecom, banking and export oriented garments/textile industry). Currently there are over four hundred (400+) registered software and IT-enabled services (ITES) companies in the country employing over 12,000 ICT professionals. Software and ITES account for around 39% of the total IT market (excluding telecom) that is estimated to be over 300 million US dollars.

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(Source: BASIS Survey)

Figure 1. Total IT Market in Bangladesh (Excluding Telecom Service)

B. Current International Market and its Potential

Over hundred (100+) among the four hundred software/ITES companies in the country are exporting to over 30 countries worldwide. Though a majority of the companies are exporting in the North American Market (mainly USA), during the recent times there have been encouraging performance by a good number of companies in European and East Asian (mainly Japan) market. Among the hundred export focused companies, at least 30 companies have been set up either as joint venture (between foreign and local entrepreneur) or as ODC (offshore development centre) with hundred percent foreign investment. Most of these joint venture/ODCs have actually been set up during last couple of years. During last five years, the average export growth rate of software and ITES service has been 61.2 %.


(Source: Export Promotion Bureau)

Figure 2. Export of Software and ITES From Bangladesh During Last 5 Years (Mill US Dollar)

To meet the high quality standard of offshore jobs and to comply with the expectation of overseas clients, the companies in Bangladesh are rightly focusing on putting in place global standard practices and processes. Over twenty companies have already got ISO certification. A number of companies are in the process of acquitting CMMi certification and by 2008 at least six companies are going to get to Level 3 in CMMi.

a. European Union has recently identified Bangladesh as one of the best 20 outsourcing countries for EU market;

b. In 2006, Goldman Sachs Group has included it in a list of 11 developing countries that, according to its analysts, have the greatest potential to emulate the long-term economic success expected from China, India, Brazil and Russia.

C. Environment and Capacity of ICT in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a country of over 140 million people. A significant portion of the population belongs to the young age group (16-35). The people are intrinsically creative, hard working, willing to learn and passionate about their job. Over 10 million professionals and migrant workers working outside the country is a testimony for that. So, human resource is considered to be the main resource of Bangladesh.

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For a country to excel in a knowledge based service industry like software and ITES, this people strength is the cornerstone of Bangladesh ICT capacity. During recent years, considering the importance of availability of good quality of institutional capacity for training the human resources, both the government and private sector have invested in building the required education infrastructure for training in ICT related programs. Currently, there are over one hundred Universities, Colleges and Institutes offering graduate/engineering degree (4 year program) and post-graduate degrees. These are producing over 5,500 graduates/engineers every year in ICT subjects. Out of that number, around 2,500 are computer science graduates or software engineers. Apart from the Universities/Colleges/ Institutes offering graduate level program in ICT, there are several hundred centers across the country offering shorter duration courses (two/one year/six month diploma or certificate courses) in different IT skills. These centres play important roles in producing large numbers of IT workforce who are mainly employed in different ITES sectors (e.g. graphic design, DTP, engineering drawing, web design/publishing, network maintenance etc.)

a. Number of Universities (Public & Private) offering IT Programs: 60+

b. Number of Colleges/Institutes offering Graduate/Engineering program in IT: 40+

c. Number of Institutes/Centres offering Diploma or vocational programs in IT: 300+

Table 1: Number of ICT Graduate/ Engineers

Graduates/ Engineers Total number available in

the country Yearly Production of Graduates/Engineers

Computer Science Graduates/ Software Engineers

15,000 2,500

ICT Graduates/ ICT Related Engineers

40,000 5,500

Source: BASIS Survey

Table 2: Number of ITES Workforce in the Country in Selected ITES Areas

Graphics (2D&3D) & Animation, Web Design 12,000+

New Media: Prepress DTP, Web publishing 8,000+

CAD (Architecture, Mechanical, Construction) 5,000+


D. Human Resource Development Activities

The key issue for the software industry in any country in order to successfully cater to the growing outsourcing requirement of international clients from all over the world is the availability of high quality software professionals at different stages (software engineers, project managers, technical leaders, etc.). BASIS gives high importance on the’Human Resource’ aspect for the industry. BASIS, with the partnership of academia and government agencies has taken a strategic approach to address the issue in the best possible way. The objective of this approach is to make high quality software HR pool available in the country that can support the sustainable growth of the industry, particularly with respect to offshore software outsourcing jobs.

The three-tier approach by BASIS to ensure high quality HR available for the software outsourcing industry is the following:

a. IT career awareness building with the objective of attracting higher number of young talents from across the country to ICT fields. This is targeted to increase the number of enrollment in different ICT subjects offered by the Universities and ICT institutes.

b. Programs targeted for fresh IT graduates to make them’software industry ready’. These programs have the objective of bridging the gap between the acquired skills of fresh IT graduates and expected skill in the real industry. Some of the programs and initiatives that are currently coordinated by BASIS are:

i. Working closely with the University and other IT institutes for academic curriculum update/modification according to recent industry needs;

ii. Working with the Universities and related government agencies for development of a common skill assessment framework of the fresh IT graduates;

iii. Conducting focused skill enhancement programs for the fresh graduates and’entry level’ software professionals working in the industry;

iv. Internship programs participated by BASIS member companies and supported by Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology

c. Higher Excellence Program for senior level software professionals of BASIS member companies. As a part of these programs BASIS has been organizing series of training programs (workshops, seminars etc.) conducted by local and international industry experts in areas like software project management, software architecture & design, testing & QA, CMMi etc. The main objective of these programs are to orient the existing professionals with the most advanced global industry trends, standards and practices so that they can be introduced in the local companies with the goal of achieving excellence and becoming internationally competitive.

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E. ICT Infrastructure

One of the very important factors for the significant growth in the overall IT sector during the recent time has been the phenomenal investment (both from the government and private sector) in the telecom and related ICT infrastructure in the country over recent years.

Bangladesh is currently hooked up with SEA-ME-WEA 4 submarine cable for international connectivity (with 10 Gb capacity- expandable to 80 Gb) through Internet (All the Internet Service Providers have VSAT backup for redundancy). Currently, all the major cities within the country are connected through high speed fiber optic backbone. All parts of the country are accessible though Internet provided by the’last mile connectivity’ through wireless (GPRS/Edge or Wi-Max technology). Thanks to over 100% yearly growth in mobile penetration for last five years, the country has currently nearly 50 million mobile phone users (93 coverage in terms of geographical area and 33% of the total population).

F. Government Policy Support

The Government of Bangladesh provides good policy support for growth of software and ITES sector, particularly with a view to promote the export of the services. In the recent National Export Policy (2006-9), the Government has declared Software as one of the six’high priority’ export sectors for the economy. Here are some of the government policy supports for the industry.

a. Tax Holiday: The corporate income tax for the software business has been kept completely tax free.

b. Investment & Financing Support: In the 2009-2010 budget, the government has allocated Tk. 200 crore as equity financing support for the local software and ITES companies. The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) also provides working capital loan to software exporting companies against export orders at a very concessional rate. To attract foreign investment in the sector, the government has allowed 100% ownership in the sector and full profit repatriation for the investors.

c. Low or Zero Tariff for Capital Goods/Computers for the Software Industry: Since 1996, Government has been allowing zero/low tariff for computers and other capital goods required for software industry.

d. ICT Internship: Government provides financial support (60% of the salary/allowance cost) for recruiting interns (fresh graduates) by any software companies. For this program which started in 2005, Government has allocated budget for 1,000 interns for every year.

e. ICT Park and ICT Incubator: Government has recently started a mega project for establishing a high tech park (IT Park) right outside the capital city. When completed, it is expected to provide world class facilities


(available in any reputed IT park in other countries) to the local and foreign IT companies. Government is also providing incubation support to smaller companies by providing infrastructural facilities.

4. CURRENT SCENARIO: LEGAL AND POLICY ENVIRONMENT

Several legal and policy developments have established a platform for eGovernance in Bangladesh to move forward. The National ICT Policy 2009, the ICT Act 2009, the Right to Information Act – all these were major milestones for Bangladesh to cross to take the country to the next phase of eGovernance and eService delivery.

4.1. National ICT Policy 2009

The revised ICT Policy 2009 has incorporated new policy directions in line with the ever changing technological advancements in this area. The most remarkable changes that have been made in the revised National ICT Policy 2009 are (1) a methodical framework of the policy document and (2) inclusion of planned action items in conformity with policies and strategies. There is also 306 action items

under the below 10 objectives: Social Equity, Productivity, Integrity, Education and Research, Employment Generation, Strengthening of Exports, Healthcare, Universal Access, Environment, Climate & Disaster Management, and Supports to ICTs.

The 306 action items included in the policy have been divided as short-term (18 months), medium-term (5 years) and long-term (10 years) actions to be taken by the government, academia, private sector and the NGO sector of the country. These action items are providing clear directions for all ministries, division and directorates of the government to embark on specific tasks to implement the policy.

4.2. ICT Act 2009

The ICT Act 2009, passed in the Parliament, will allow online financial transactions, digital signatures, dispute resolution for electronic transactions, and law against cyber crime, among others. The passing of this act was made possible through facilitating the legal and logistical issues among the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Science and ICT and Bangladesh Computer Council to establish the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) within an already existing organization thereby accelerating the pace of operationalizing the Act greatly.

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4.3. Right to Information

Right to Information Act 2009 has been effected in Bangladesh on April, 2009. According to the act, the government and other institutions using public funds will have to provide people with necessary information within 20 days of applying for it. If any official refuses to provide information, anybody can file appeals with the National Information Commission. The official concerned, if found guilty, may be penalized from 50 Taka for every day of delay, but the total sum shall not exceed 5,000 Taka.

Enactment of the Right to Information Act (RTI Act) is a landmark move towards ensuring people’s access to information and it can also be utilized as a tool of reducing poverty. Utilization of RTI law as a development tool can make sure that people know all information about the development projects. They should know about the funds and how the money is being spent during project implementation.

The government is committed to implementing the Right to Information (RTI) law, however challenging the task may be. A National Information Commission with three commissioners has been formed to implement the act.

4.4. eGovernance Interoperability Framework

The government agencies must have interoperability standards to follow when developing their databases, Management Information Systems (MIS), Websites and Information Portals. The eGovernance Interoperability framework will help the government agencies avoid situations where systems developed within the government are mutually incompatible and hence inherently wasteful.

National Identities Registration Department (NIRD) has already started working on formalizing several recommendations of the framework as part of its work to establish the foundation for nation-wide eCitizen Services.

The Bangladesh eGovernance Interoperability Framework (BD-eGIF) developed by the Prime Minister’s Office specifies some technology standards that should be used to achieve interoperability across government. The major components of the BD-eGIF process are the following:

a. Policy & Scope: covers both the top level government policies and detail technical policies with pragmatic scoping definitions.

b. Management Processes: covers Implementation support, working groups, standards evolution process, change management, and similar issues.

c. Compliance Management: covers the verification and validation process for the eGovernance Interoperability issues.


4.5. National ID Database

The national voters’ database by the Election Commission Secretariat is one of the largest personnel databases in the world containing over 80 million voters’ information. This database will now be used to provide over 20 public services including issuance of drivers’ license, passport, education certificate and delivery of health services and other social safety network programs. This platform is also forming one of the foundation elements for driving database and service interoperability amongst the service delivery agencies of the government.

5. IN CHARGE OF eGOVERNANCE

Although currently there is no one institutional framework in place, the below entities and organizations have been coordinating the country’s eGovernance planning, strategy and activities.

5.1. National ICT Taskforce

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Task Force had been constituted with the Honorable Prime Minister as its convener and Secretary, Planning Division as its member secretary to make decision on ICT related activities. In the election manifesto Awami League affirmed to revive the ICT Task Force formed during their last term and it is in the process of being reconstituted as of August, 2009. The ICT taskforce may initiate the process of making the national ICT roadmap. The first work of the revived task force would be to prepare an eReadiness plan to asses the current ICT resources and skilled human resources of Bangladesh. This may include assessing the current infrastructure, internet accessibility, available skilled ICT professional, digitization level of the country and others. After a good assessment, the job will be to identify the projects and programs that need to be focused and consolidated at the national level, and all the sectors, including public and private that need enhancement and development.

5.2. eGovernance Cell at Prime Minister's Office

In the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), it was decided that a knowledge-based society would be developed throughout the world by 2015, which is in line with the government's decision of building a digital Bangladesh by 2021. The government is now more prudent in taking steps towards their vision of achieving a digital Bangladesh.

To transform the current government into an eGovernment, a separate body had been established for policy formulation and coordination of the eGovernance activities. Accordingly, the Government of Bangladesh had established an eGovernance cell at the Prime Minister's Office in 2006. The cell is in charge of the following activities:

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a. Preparation and implementation of eGovernance Vision, Strategic Goals and Flagship Projects through a consultative process;

b. Development of an infrastructure strategy;

c. Development of a conducive, legal and regulatory framework;

d. Coordination and implementation of a Human Resource Plan

Launched in 2007, the Access to Information Programme (A2I), a UNDP-funded umbrella initiative undertaken by the Government of Bangladesh at the eGovernance Cell, Prime Minister’s Office, is aimed at ensuring the appropriateness of new initiatives and programmes for ICT for Development within the context of national priorities. It assists the government to plan and coordinate the ongoing and future activities across various ministries, divisions and agencies of the government to utilize ICTs as a tool to a) make government services hassle-free, faster, cheaper, more inclusive and’at citizens doorsteps' and b) bring efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability to the administration.

5.3. Focal Point

Each ministry has an eGovernance Focal Point at the level of Joint or Additional Secretary to coordinate their respective ministry’s eGovernance related activities. The Access to Information programme of the Prime Minister’s Office holds regular workshops and meetings with them for the purpose of sharing new ideas, progress or addressing challenges. These interactions also induce healthy competition amongst ministries and innovations.

5.4. Ministry of Science and ICT and Bangladesh Computer Council

The Ministry of Science and Information & Communication Technology (MoSICT) is promoting Science and Technology as stewardship of positive change in society and for balanced socio-economic enhancement and national well-being. The main function of MoSICT is to support attainment of overall socio-economic development of the country through research, development, extension and successful utilization of science and technology including information and communication technology.

Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) is one of the key organizations under MoSICT. The main objective of establishing BCC is to ensure the effective application and expansion of the use of information technology. In view of this BCC has been formulating appropriate policies and implementing them since its inception.


6. WAY FORWARD: DIGITAL BANGLADESH 2021

The current government of Bangladesh, which took office in January, 2009 following an unprecedented popular support in the December 2008 election, had made eGovernance and eService delivery a central focus in its election manifesto termed’A Charter for Change'. In this charter, Digital Bangladesh is a central feature of the vision 2021. The charter specifically mentions’Administrative reform, right to information and eGovernance will be introduced' thus linking eGovernance to administrative reform, government accountability and transparency, and efficient delivery of services and information to citizens. Of the many priorities of Digital Bangladesh, computerization of land records, human resource development for increased remittance, nurturing of the ICT sector for massive increase in foreign earnings and employment are of particular note.

In the first 100 days of office, the government promulgated the ICT Act 2009 and Right to Information Act, passed the revised ICT Policy 2009 in the Cabinet. However, translating many of the mandates of the current government into practice requires setting up of strategies to ensure that service delivery is enhanced and that people at large get the maximum benefits from Digital Bangladesh. Discussions have been continuing with the senior policy makers and law makers to ensure better service delivery at all levels.

In many ways,’Digital Bangladesh’ is a reincarnation of the vision of’Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal). Hence, it may be wise to keep it as an overarching objective rather than a conclusive target. From this viewpoint, where it makes sense, ICTs and new technologies need to be leveraged in all aspect of national progress of a Digital Bangladesh. Some of the key areas in which ICT can be leveraged immediately are outlined below.

6.1. Human Resource Development

Digital Bangladesh needs people who can take it forward and thrive in such a country. This component is about the future of “Digital Bangladesh” and is a precondition to propel the agenda to its final destination. Clearly, a student who used ICT to learn will find it easier to use ICT to apply whatever s/he learned in the Digital Bangladesh.

The key objective here is to make the best use of new technologies to build world-class skills in all areas of study especially mathematics, science, and English language. Taking advantage of newer and less costly delivery tools and digital learning contents the aim will be to build the competencies needed to compete in the globalized 21st century world.

6.2. Connecting to Citizens

Ensuring access to the Digital Bangladesh for all citizens, poor or rich, literate or illiterate, urban or rural is another foundation stone of Digital Bangladesh. The

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key objective of this component is to find a sustainable channel so that people can benefit from all that the Digital Bangladesh would offer in a manner that s/he could easily use and afford.

More specifically, this component will deal with i) building awareness and capacity of the communities to access public services leveraging ICTs, ii) issues associated with local language content and locally relevant content, iii) innovative access channels and platforms for common men/women, etc.

This component will also deal with establishing two-way channels to promote participation of grassroots in policy discourse and provide feedbacks to the policy makers on particular policy adjustments.

6.3. Digital Government for Pro-poor Services

The key objective of the eCitizen service sub-component is to ensure anytime, anywhere services to anyone in need of such services at a cost that he/she can afford and in a way that is transparent to all. The key outcome of this component is to make sure that people, especially the poor and marginalized, get the most out of public provisions of information and services.

Hence, the key deliverables of eCitizen Service initiative is innovative service design and delivery channels that suits citizen’s lifestyle. In terms of specific indicators, this would mean i) reduced number of interaction, especially face-to-face interactions, between the service provider and recipient, ii) delivery in a speedy and cost effective manner, iii) extended service availability (where possible 24x7 window), etc.

6.4. ICT in Business

This component will deal with three broad issues of Digital Bangladesh namely i) access to market, ii) promotion of ICT business to support Digital Bangladesh and iii) ICT as an export oriented sector.

Leveraging ICTs to promote access to markets by the disadvantaged producers and businesses would be a prime objective of this component. By extension, this also includes the issue of leveraging ICTs to maintain a socially responsible and equitable market for all. The second sub-component would be the issue of promotion of the ICT business. The basic objective would be to support the industry so that it may provide the services and technology needed to sustain the three other components of Digital Bangladesh. Fially, the third sub-component involves promoting the ICT business sector to boost its potential for ICT export and earn foreign currency. This may also involve providing the right springboard required for the local companies to access the global market.


7. CHALLENGES

7.1. Challenges in Public Service Delivery

Delivery of services to the citizens by the government is fraught with inefficiencies and lack of transparency in a developing country like Bangladesh. Other significant challenges that the Government of Bangladesh faces in delivering services to the public include the following:

a. The current government service delivery channels find it very difficult to reach transportation facilities.

b. Extreme poverty of the target population often makes them unable to reach the government service centres.

c. Typical service delivery channels of the government are largely unable to cater to the needs of persons with disabilities thereby leaving them outside of the service delivery facilities.

d. As more and more government functions become decentralized, it becomes increasingly difficult to monitor progress and guide implementation.

e. The government officials do not have enough incentives to excel in service delivery. The accountability to citizens is largely absent in the current structure of the Government of Bangladesh.

f. Through the traditional approaches, it is almost impossible to get feedback from citizens on government's performance in service delivery.

7.2. Rewards for Service Delivery Innovation and Every Risk

It is clear from experiences in other similar countries and in Bangladesh that the government needs to spur innovations in public service delivery to address the problems mentioned above. However, in reality, the Government of Bangladesh has no built-in mechanism to reward innovation in this regard. Innovations, if any, have been typically driven by personal heroic efforts, many of which bring risks to the harbinger of the change. This has deterred and discouraged many reform-minded government officials to take initiative to improve the citizens' experience in receiving services from the government.

Since innovations have often depended on personal interventions by senior officials without full buy-in from the service delivery organizations, it has traditionally been difficult to manage the process change necessary to sustain the innovation. Thus, the innovations have not seen proper institutionalization and have resulted in only temporary improvements.

7.3. Citizens' Demand for Improvement

Citizens in Bangladesh have become used to poor service quality after centuries of facing poor quality. By and large, they are not aware that receiving services from

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the government in a timely fashion, with quality and at their doorsteps is a constitutional right. Rather, most citizens are under the impression that services from the government are a privilege delivered through patronage of the establishment. This gives rise to’rent-seeking' behaviour within the government service delivery machinery and creates otherwise unnecessary intermediaries.

7.4. Capacity of Government Officials for Quality Service Delivery

The other side of the coin is that government officials in most cases do not feel accountability to the citizens. Citizen-centric governance is merely rhetoric in their day to day functions. The government as a whole lacks adequate capacity to ensure that services are delivered equitably, on time and with quality. The training programmes emphasize rule-based operations of the government rather than citizen-centric service delivery.

7.5. Difficulty in Changing Mindset

The biggest barrier to leveraging ICTs for public service delivery is the government officials' willingness to consider alternatives to current service delivery options. As there is little incentive to bringing true innovation to service delivery, combined with the reality that officials may be penalized for breaching status quo, large-scale change will still be difficult. However, the’Quick Wins' push has created widespread enthusiasm to experiment with alternative service delivery channels. It is expected that the momentum created will see a fair amount of sustainability and permanence in this direction.

7.6. Legal Barriers

There are still some legal barriers to using digital documents as legal paper. With the enactment of the ICT Act 2009, digital signatures now have legal status in the country resulting in the government's ability to accept electronic documents. This will basically mean that the government can then accept electronic documents as part of numerous types of applications from the citizens. The government can also provide certificates, awards of tenders, notifications of various kinds to the citizens without having the citizens physically visit a government office multiple times. This will greatly reduce’rent-seeking' and wastage of time and money on parts of both the government and citizens. However, the country is yet to establish the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) to operationalize the ICT Act and enable the government institutions and the citizens to take advantage of digital signatures.

7.7. Legislation for Electronic Fund Transfers

Legislation is necessary for small electronic fund transfers through mobile phones to set up a truly legal basis for this mechanism. The absence of an


electronic payment gateway today creates islands of payment mechanism within each mobile phone operator.

8. CONCLUSION

Bangladesh has not been able to harness the power of ICTs for economic and social gains to the extent that other countries of the world have. The promise of ICTs has only become stronger with time and a future without ICTs in any part of the world is unthinkable. As the financial barrier to ICTs is much lower than many other modern technologies, and as the future of human society is inextricably linked with ICTs, the Government of Bangladesh along with its private partners, NGOs as well as development agencies is coming to realize that Bangladesh as a country must embrace ICTs as a matter of policy and set an aggressive strategy to make up for the current lag and leapfrog into the ranks of top ICT-ready countries. There is also an obvious and visible shift in the country’s development strategies as a whole.

Optimal resource utilization, certified skills development, efficient communication and quality education delivery are some of the ways in which the above goals can be realized within the specified timeframe by pushing the growth rate to above 7.5% through extensive use of ICTs. By sustaining this level of growth, the country’s GNP can be increased twenty-fold from the present level and high-income status can be achieved within 30 years.

9. REFERENCES

[1] Election Manifesto of Bangladesh Awami League: A Charter for Change, December, 2008

[2] Digital Bangladesh: Draft Concept Note prepared by KAM Morshed (UNDP), Enamul Kabir (BCC), Reza Selim (Amader Gram), Monirul Alam (ex-BTCL), May 11, 2009

[3] Digital Bangladesh Priorities presentation by Anir Chowdhury (A2I), KAM Morshed (UNDP) to Renata Lok Dessallien and Sazeeb Wazed, April 12, 2009

[4] Digital Bangladesh Possibilities presentation by Anir Chowdhury (A2I), KAM Morshed (UNDP) to UNDP Senior Management, January 12, 2009

[5] e-Vision 2021 Documents for e-Krishi, e-Shasthyo, e-Shikkha, e-Sthaniyo Sarkar and e-Administration, developed by Access to Information Programme, Prime Minister’s Office, 2008

[6] National ICT Policy 2009

[7] Broadband Policy 2008

[8] 50 Most Important Services and 50 Most Important Information Needs of Citizens: An e-Government Assessment of Bangladesh, prepared by Development Research Network (D.Net) with sponsorship from the World Bank, 2006

[9] Access to Information Quarterly Progress Reports 2007-2009, developed by Access to Information Programme of the Prime Minister’s Office

[10] E-Gif Interoperability Framework, developed by Access to Information Programme of the Prime Minister’s Office

[11] E-Citizen Services by Mobile Operators developed by Access to Information Programme of the Prime Minister’s Office

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[12] Public Service Delivery for Media developed by Access to Information Programme of the Prime Minister’s Office

[13] ICT Industry in Bangladesh, Developed by Fahim Mashroor, Bangladesh Association for Software Information and Services (BASIS)

[14] A Strategy for Developing the Information Technology Enabled Services, developed by International Trade Centre (ITC) and published by the European Commission (EC), October 2008

eGOVERNANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVES

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