Bangladesh launches national web portal to ensure transparency

By Mizan Rahman

Dhaka

Bangladesh yesterday launched the ‘National Web Portal’ opening up a new horizon and a window for ensuring what officials said transparency and accountability in governance.

The public portal containing 25,043 websites of various government organisations in various tiers having more than 2mn contents started with marking International Public Service Day.

Information technology expert and prime minister’s adviser on ICT Sajeeb Joy formally inaugurated ‘The National Web Portal’ at a function at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The world’s biggest web portal in Bangla was developed by Access to Information (a2i) programme with the assistance of the UNDP and the USAID.

Through this, Bangladesh has set up a unique example of connecting 25,043 websites of government organisations to a same stint. These include 4,550 websites of unions, 14,640 websites of sub-districts, 4,032 websites of districts, 455 of divisions, 64 of district councils, 488 of sub-district councils, 55 of ministries and divisions, 345 of directorates and 414 of city corporations and municipalities.

Sajeeb Joy said digital revolution has been possible in the country only because of the ruling Awami League. “Only the Awami League government has been able to establish e-governance in the country in a faster pace compared to the industrial sector.”

The PM’s adviser said the Awami League government in its previous term had established over 4,500 Union information and service centres and web portals in all the districts in just two years of its tenure ahead of the targeted three years.

He said: “The National Web Portal of Bangladesh having over 25,000 websites is now the biggest in the world as no other country has such number of websites in a public portal.”

Joy said that the main objective of the web portal is to remove digital divide in the country as well as to ensure that the common people are benefitted through this digital revolution.

“Our target was not to let it happen that only the rich would be benefitted through Digital Bangladesh while the poor and the rural people would be left out.”