Grand launch of BTN Mission 2011 to setup 40,000 telecentres

Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Created By: billah on 7-Dec-2007 6:44 AM

“40,000 telecentre by 40th anniversary of the glorious independence of Bangladesh, may be ambitious but certainly achievable if pursued with vigour”
--- Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed Chief Adviser to the caretaker government of Bangladesh.

Chief Adviser to the caretaker government of Bangladesh, Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed formally launched Mission 2011 of Bangladesh Telecentre Network (BTN) on December 6, 2007 which targeted to set up 40,000 telecentre by 2011, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the glorious independence of Bangladesh with the vision of an inclusive knowledge society in Bangladesh, where the poor and the marginalized people get access to information and knowledge for improving their livelihood through the use of modern information and communication technologies.

The chief advisor said the poor have an additional entry now to their list of deprivation. The better-off urban people are benefiting from the ICT-based new economy, but the poor, disadvantaged and rural people do not have access to the information superhighway. We need to remove this barrier and empower these people by providing them with access to new technologies. He mentioned BTN as a solution to this problem, which will provide access and support to rural communities. He was confident that the telecentres will minimize digital divide by improving access to technology and also provide invaluable support through appropriate contents and advisory services in the livelihood struggle of large number of the country's population. He said ICT can undoubtedly play a vital role in the country's development endeavors and a well-planned and well-laid-out ICT network all over the country will speed up development on many fronts.
Science and ICT Adviser Tapan Chowdhury, UNDP Resident representative Renata L Desallien, Chairman of BTRC Maj Gen (rtd) Manjurul Alam, Executive Committee member of Global Knowledge Partnership and fellow of Sawminathan Research Foundation, India, Prof Subbiah Arunachalam, and senior programme officer of IDRC/telecentre.org Asia Region Dr Basheerhamad Shadrach also spoke at the function.

Chairperson of Bangladesh Telecentre Network Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury presided over the inaugural session and Vice-chancellor of Brac University Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury presented the keynote paper for on this occasion. Distinguished researchers, IT experts, academics and grassroots telecentre practitioners were among others present.

Mission 2011 is a multi-stakeholder initiative for building a sustainable information and knowledge system for the poor and marginalised by the 40th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence. The goal of Mission 2011 is to promote initiatives taken by the government, private sector, NGOs, research institutions, educational institutions, media, international and national development partners and other stakeholders for building various models of telecentres in Bangladesh so that by 2011 all citizens of the country would have access to information and knowledge centres (popularly known as telecentre) for getting communication, information and other services for improving their livelihoods and quality of life. The telecentres will have different ownership patterns, technology, target beneficiaries, service packages, and business/sustainability models.

BTN network is a platform of multi-stakeholder partnership, where NGOs, private sector, research institutions, academia, international and national development partners, individuals and government institutions can together advance the cause of empowering the poor and the marginalised for alleviating poverty by harnessing the power of ICTs along with other core resources. Any individual or organization who believes in the importance of telecentre as a new institution for rural Bangladesh for poverty alleviation and empowerment and desire to play an active role in making Mission 2011 a success can be a member of the BTN. Visit http://www.mission2011.net.bd/btnevent/About.php for detail.

Web Site: http://www.mission2011.net

Contact Name: Md. Masum Billah

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