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IT freelances will be diving force of Smart Bangladesh: Palak


Published : 01 Feb 2023 08:52 PM

Information and Communication Technology State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that IT freelancers and entrepreneurs will be the driving force for building an innovative and knowledge-based smart Bangladesh. To achieve this goal, ICT Department Startup Bangladesh Limited is providing equity investment funds ranging from Tk 5 lakh to Tk 5 crore. He urged the successful freelancers to use the power of training and technology to create employment for themselves as well as other youths.

The State Minister said these things in the chief guest speech at the Bangladesh Computer Council Auditorium today at the distribution of laptops and certificates among the selected 318 successful freelancers trained under the Learning and Earning Development Project of the Information and Communication Technology Department of Dhaka District.

Palak pointed out that there are six and a half lakh freelancers in the country and said that if successful freelancers can become entrepreneurs with their experience and skills, millions more young entrepreneurs will be created. Our future smart youth of Bangladesh will not look for jobs but will create job fields. Expatriate workers working abroad are contributing to the country's economy by sending remittances. He said that if the educated youth of the country can be trained as IT freelancers or entrepreneurs, they can earn billions of dollars in remittances. Learning and Earning Development project has been implemented with this aim.

Co-working spaces are being provided in hi-tech parks in necessary cases along with grants of up to 10 lakhs from Idea project of ICT department and up to 50 lakhs from innovation fund of A2I program and grants up to 1 crore in case of rocketry, robotics innovation challenge to make IT freelancers of the country as entrepreneurs. 

The state minister said that due to the fourth industrial revolution, new areas of employment are being created for us. If we fail to acquire skills and competencies accordingly, we will be in dire straits. He said Prime Minister's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has asked to emphasize on four areas of Micro Processor Designing and Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cyber Security to create a workplace suitable for the fourth industrial revolution.

ICT Department Senior Secretary NM Ziaul Alam presided over the event and others, ICT Department Additional Secretary Dr. Khandkar Azizul Islam, Dhaka District Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Momtaz Begum, Learning and Earning Development Project Project Director Humayun Kabir spoke.