National ICT Policy – 2002

National ICT Policy – 2002

[ From chapter-24 of the book "Information Technology in Banking" written by Abul Kashem Md. Shirin and Nusrat Tamanna Prianka and published by Institute of Bankers, Bangladesh (IBB) ]

1.         Why ICT Policy?

Information & Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the most important tools to achieve economic prosperity of a country through improving the management and efficiency in every sphere of life. The experience of the developed and emerging economies supports the above notion. To effectively harness the power of ICTs, Bangladesh formulated its first National ICT Policy in 2002. The National ICT Policy 2002 could not reach the professed levels of success due to lack of appropriate plans to achieve the goals set in the policy as well as poor implementation of the underlying actions.

The policy has 103 policy directives in 16 areas. Among those, 8 were fully or largely accomplished, 61 were partially accomplished and 34 remained unaddressed. Lack of ownership and coordination are the two main reasons, while absence of actors or implementing agencies in the policy document contributed much to non fulfillment of the desired goals.

2.         Objectives of ICT Policy

The objectives of the policy are as under:

1.         In order to give a thrust to the ICT sector and expeditious development of Software industry and its export required infrastructural facilities and legal framework will be created..

2.         Provide effective incentives for development of ICT sector to both local and foreign entrepreneurs;

3.         Develop an efficient ICT infrastructure that provides open access to international and national network;

4.         Promote and facilitate use of ICT in all sectors of the economy for transparency, good governance and efficiency improvement;

5.         Establish legislative and regulatory framework for ICT issues like IPR, data security and protection, digital signature, e-Commerce, ICT education etc. as well as to ensure quality ICT education provided by different private organizations

6.         Set up national databases that are reliable and easily accessible to all the people of the country;

7.         Promote use of ICT by providing special allocations for ICT project implementation in the public sector. Train the decision makers in ICT use and promote a ICT culture;.

8.         Develop a large pool of world class ICT professionals to meet the needs of local and global markets

9.         Set up a very high quality ICT institution to continuously promote and foster ICT Industry;

10.       Enact Laws and Regulations for uninterrupted growth of ICT, in conformity with World Trade Organization (WTO) stipulations.

3.         Coverage of ICT Policy

The policy incorporates a clear guideline for the Government and other organizations to perform some activities within a timeline in the following fields:

 

1.                  Training and Human Resources Development

2.                  ICT Infrastructure

3.                  Research and Development in ICT

4.                  ICT Industry

4.1.                        Software Industry

4.2.                        Hardware Industry

4.3.                        Services Industry

5.                  E-Commerce

6.                  E-Government/E-Governance

7.                  Legal Issues

8.                  Health Care

9.                  Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation

10.              Social Welfare

11.              Transportation

12.              Tourism

13.              Environment

14.              Judiciary

15.              Regional and International Cooperation

The policy also suggests the way as to how to implement and monitor the suggested activities, how to obtain funds and resources, and on the required institutional arrangement for ICT Policy Updating, Standardizing, Implementing and Monitoring.

4.         Selected Policy Clauses

The policy clauses related to Banking are produced below:

3.2.26              Solar power will be encouraged specially in those inaccessible areas where use of ICT is constrained due to lack of electricity

3.2.27              Use of VoIP and WLL (Wireless Local Loop) technologies will be reviewed and realistic measures taken thereafter.

3.4.1.1             To develop and encourage the local software industry, price preference may be given to locally developed software in all public and private sector procurement.

3.4.1.5             Joint ventures between local and foreign entrepreneurs in the ICT sector will be vigorously promoted.

3.4.1.6             An annual target of 3 (three) billion US dollars from earnings of export of software, data entry and IT-enabled services shall be planned up to year 2006. The target shall be revised periodically to match the growth of the market.

3.4.2.1             Hardware industry often requires a huge capital investment and entrepreneurs shall be encouraged to establish production facilities for components, peripherals and accessories with joint venture cooperation and technology transfer agreements. Foreign owned and multinational companies, who will establish such production facilities in Bangladesh and employ our workforce, shall be offered special incentives.

3.5       E-Commerce

3.5.1   The Government and the private sector will promote business in electronic form and create an environment in which it will be well secured. Government will take initiative to introduce and promote Government-to-Government (G2G) transaction under the purview of e-commerce. Gradually this initiative will also be extended from G2G to Government to Business (G2B) transaction in the same line.

3.5.2    Authentication of the identities of both buyer and seller or the involved parties in an electronic transaction is crucial to promote inter-bank transaction, encryption e-commerce. Security of electronic transaction should be ensured through appropriate measures.

3.5.3    Establish immediately inter-banking payment system in electronic form.

3.5.4    Legal framework to provide the guiding principles, rules and legislation for e-Commerce shall be put in place.

3.6.6    Government will introduce and promote ICT based services like G2G (Government to Government), G2E (Government to Employee), G2C (Government to Customer) etc.

3.6.7    Preference shall be given to ICT literate candidates for the purpose of recruitment in public offices. ICT-literacy shall also be evaluated in the ACR of officials to ensure utilization of ICT in the public services.

3.7.2    ICT Act should be enacted immediately to protect against computer crimes such as computer fraud, hacking and damage to programs and data and introducing/spreading computer viruses.

3.7.3    Data security and interoperability should be ensured through actions such as setting of encryption standards and international agreements on interoperability.

3.7.4    With the increase in the use of Internet and Information Technology in every sphere of human activities, formulation of new laws or amendment to the existing ones should be done as deemed necessary, to ensure security of data, freedom of information.

3.11.3 ICT will be used for online booking and ticketing services of all public and private transport companies.