Some 108 union parishads have already been connected with the optical fiber network as part of the government’s plan to expand the network to all union parishads, Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister told Parliament on Monday.
With a view to making the state-owned Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL) popular and increase its revenue, the BTCL sponsored setting up the optical fiber network in the 108 Union Parishads, Abdul Latif Siddiqui said answering a tabled starred question of Nurunnabi Chowdhury (Bhola-3).
The minister said work on the implementation of a BTCL project started to bring more 1006 union parishads under the optical fiber network.Besides, another project to bring another 1005 union parishads in the remote areas under the network is awaiting approval of the government, he added.
In reply to a tabled question of Rustom Ali Farazi (Pirojpur-3), Latif Siddiqui said a total of Tk 5404.69 crore in revenue was collected by Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission in the 2012-13 fiscal while Tk 5717.70 crore was collected in the first half of the current fiscal (2013-14).
Meanwhile, a bill, titled ‘Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2014’, was placed in Parliament on Monday to change the name of the relevant Ministry.
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Division Junaid Ahmed Polok placed the bill in Parliament as the Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui was not present in the House.
The House has sent the Bill to the respective Parliamentary Standing Committee for further scrutiny and asked the committee to submit its report within four weeks.
In the objective, it is stated that the original bill was passed in 2010 for establishing hi-tech park, and develop and flourish this industry in the country.
At that time, the Bill was passed under the Science, Information and Communication Technology Ministry.
But, later the government created a new ministry ‘Information and Communication Technology’ for bringing pace to making a digital Bangladesh and taking quick policy decision.
The government put the Hi-Tech Park Authority under the Information and Communication Technology Ministry.
As a result, there is a need to change the name of the Ministry in the Bill. – UNB
