UISCs promote livelihood in rural areas

November 9, 2014

BSS, Dhaka :
Officials and IT experts at a training programme on Saturday said Union Information and Service Centre (UISCs) are offering ICT based programmes including computer training for rural folks to promote their livelihood. The UISCs have created wonderful opportunities for rural people by ensuring access to information, which is helping them promote their livelihood, they told the training programme in the conference room of ICT Division here.
Empowering Rural Communities-Reaching the Unreached: Union Information and Service Centre(UISC) Project organized training programme.
ICT Division Secretary Shayam Sundar Sikder, senior officials and IT experts, among others, addressed the programme with project director of UISC Project Sushanto Kumar Saha in the chair.
Shayam said the government is implementing various projects and programmes in line with building “Digital Bangladesh” as charted out in the vision 2021. It focuses on using ICT as tool to reduce digital divide between urban and rural areas, he added. Sushanto said the government launched the Empowering Rural Communities – Reaching the Unreached: Union Information and Service Centre(UISC) project for setting up 200 UISCs in remote and off-grid area of the country.
The government has introduced over 25 categories of services in each of 200 UISCs of remote areas, he said adding the public services such as delivery of parcha, a land related document, birth registration certificate, various types of government form, passport form, result of public administration examinations and agriculture, health and education related information are available here.
The project sources said SAARC Development Fund is implementing the UISC project at a cost of Taka 9.43 crore at 200 UISCs in remote areas of the country.
At present, the number of UISCs stood at 4,547 throughout the country.
Other speakers said the UISCs are gradually emerging as a service-oriented social institutions by giving IT based services as well as solving different problems of rural people. The UISCs also are used as effective centres to educate rural youths on ICT to make them skilled workforce, they added.