The document discusses the concept of 'Digital Bangladesh,' which aims to utilize ICT for management, governance, and development to enhance transparency and accountability. It outlines the evolution of the ICT sector in Bangladesh, including the government's Vision 2021 and the strategic priorities set to achieve a middle-income status by 2021, while also addressing criticisms regarding the initiative's effectiveness and the slow progress in digital infrastructure. Additionally, the document highlights the significance of the Digital World 2016 event as a platform for showcasing ICT achievements and fostering knowledge exchange.

1. Digital Bangladesh
 Digital Bangladesh:
Digital Bangladesh is an Idea that includes the IT use for management, administration
and governance to ensure transparency, accountability and answerability at all levels of
society and state.
 Digital Bangladesh And ICT Development:
ICT is the backbone of any digital initiative. ICT covers the vast area of information technology,
communication technology and the telecommunication technology. ICT is also a combination of
physical backbone and intellect. Computer systems, network machineries, software, wire and
wireless connectivity systems, broadcast hardware and many other hardware and accessories are
the physical backbone. The trained human behind the backbone are the intellect. Digital
Bangladesh is an Idea that includes the IT use for management, administration and governance to
ensure transparency, accountability and answerability at all levels of society and state. To
materialize the idea of digital Bangladesh, development of countrywide backbone and expected
number of human recourses are the basic needs.
Despite having 50 years of history the government has only from 1997 started the process of
developing a national ICT strategy. In 2002 Bangladesh identified ICT as a "thrust sector" as it
represents potential for quick wins in reforms, job creation, industry growth, improving
governance and facilitating inclusion, and it has high spillover effects to other sectors. Today, in
Bangladesh, the overall IT/ITES sector is valued at USD 650 million, with export claiming 39%
($250 million) of that value. The overall IT/ITES industry has enjoyed a high growth rate of 40%
over the last five (5) years and this trend is expected to continue.
 Vission2021
Vision 2021 was the political manifesto of the Bangladesh Awami League party before
winning the National Elections of 2008. It stands as a political vision of Bangladesh for
the year , the golden jubilee of the nation. The policy has been criticized as a policy
emblematic of technological optimism in the context of Bangladesh and the state
repression of media, low internet penetration, inadequate electricity generation.[1] The
Vision 2021 is an articulation of where this nation needs to be in 2021 – the year which
marks the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence.
Goals:
The main goal is for Bangladesh to become a middle income country where poverty will be
completely eradicated.
1. Democracy and effective parliament
2. Political framework, decentralization of power & people’s participation
3. Good governance through establishing rule of law and avoiding political partisanship
4. Transformation of political culture
5. A society free from corruption
6. Empowerment and equal rights for women

2. 7. Economic development & initiative
a. Meeting basic needs
b. Population and labor force
c. Alleviation of poverty
d. Food & nutrition
e. Health care center
f. Education
g. Industry
h. Energy security
i. Infrastructural development
j. Housing
k. Environment
l. Water resources
8. Bangladesh in the global arena
a. Achievements of liberation
b. Culture
c. Foreign policy
d. Good Religion.
DIGITAL WORLD-2016
Digital World is Mega ICT event of Bangladesh. Around 400 exhibitors from Bangladesh and abroad will
participate in the event. Among them, many are policy-makers, senior government officials & ministers,
industry leaders, civil society spokespersons, investors and multinational software vendors. Also,
representatives of ICT companies, international ICT associations, international development agencies,
local software development firms will be present alongside multinational and local companies, Govt.
departments & agencies implementing successfulICT & e-Governance projects. Representatives from
renowned IT training institutes as well as University faculty members and students will also be present.
Digital World 2016 Event Objectives
 Showcasing achievements of Bangladesh in ICT
 Platform for free-flow of ICT related ideas where global ICT think tanks share their thoughts
resulting in enriching Bangladesh's Knowledge and guiding toward achieving Vision 2021.

3.  Showcase of tangible achievements (in terms of Software Products and IT Enabled Services) of
Bangladesh in ICT sector.
 ICT knowledge and idea sharing platform
Determination of Strategic Priorities of Digital Bangladesh (2011 15):
Strategic priorities have been worked out in order to achieve the results towards establishing Digital
Bangladesh. This will include activities like determining immediate priorities, formulation of projects
and their implementations. In the strategy paper priority has been given to education, agriculture,
health, justice, enforcement of law, land and natural resources, social safety net, environment and
climate change, trade and investment and ICT. This strategy paper has been prepared for the policy
makers, development partners, private entrepreneurs, NGOs and civil societies, mass media
workers, academics and the citizens at large. Following this strategy paper, the ICT Policy 2009 has
been revised. The priorities set out in the strategy papers have been included in the Sixth Five Year
Plan
Criticism:
The promotion of "Digital Bangladesh" has received criticism and ridicule from many
in Bangladesh. It is commonly believed that the word "digital" used by the ruling Awami
League government seemingly refers to doing work in any relevant sector easily and rapidly
using computation, raising concerns of whether it is a goal or a slogan.[7]
Although some scope
exists for employment and income generation sectors like outsourcing, online retail and offering
different public-private hybrid services through Union Information Service Centers have been
implemented, the economy at large has remained stagnant. It is alleged that in reality, no
significant development has taken place until 2015, and progress was slow. For example, the
government planned to run the offices including the ministries through digitalized systems but
until January 2015, the public offices were still serving through the traditional filing
systems.[10]
Although mobile based money transfer or banking had reached a significant stage
and increased the money flow from the urban to the rural areas, electronic payment still lagged
far behind, with only Taka 6 core transactions a month.
A part of the “Digital Bangladesh” project was also massive overhauls of the government’s
websites. This, however, included the publication of thousands of sensitive data points. The
breakout of the 2012 ICT Skype controversy revealed that residential phone numbers of all the
officers of the foreign ministry were available online. Government institutions had published their
employees’ “Personal Data Sheets” online – a record that includes sensitive contact information
(including postal addresses, e-mail and mobile numbers), their National ID numbers, details on
their education and details on their parents.