India Supports Bangladesh for High-Tech Parks in 12 Districts

The megaproject to establish 12 hi-tech parks at the district level, including Dhaka, is finally set to start off next month after a long red-tape delay.

"The construction of eight of these parks will begin in February 2022," said State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Monday.

He was speaking to the press at the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority's meeting room in the capital after a meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami on investment in the ICT industry.

He said, of the project cost, India will provide Tk1,746.4 crore while the rest Tk50 crore will come from the Bangladesh government.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project in 2017.

Officials at the hi-tech park authority say the construction could not be started due to various complications.

Despite the fact that the four-year project was supposed to terminate in June of last year, the consulting firm was hired in June of 2018 and the bidding process was completed in June of 2021. The project's work will now continue for an extended period of time.

The authorities say work on the tender process has been delayed as permission from the Indian government is required in every step of the project.

Furthermore, the neighboring country will contribute Tk50 crore and Tk25 crore, respectively, for the establishment of the Bangladesh-Bharat Digital Edutainment Centre and the Bangladesh-Bharat Digital Service and Employment Training (BDSET) Centre.

The government would set up six specialized labs in software technology parks, high-tech parks, and the Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Centre to give training under the Bangladesh-Bharat Digital Service and Employment Training (BDSET) Centre project.

At a cost of approximately Tk61 crore, the project is being implemented at Kaliakair in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Natore, Chattogram, Jashore, and Khulna. The Bangladesh government would contribute Tk36 crore, while India will contribute Tk25 crore.

In the next two years, 2,400 individuals will be trained in advanced subjects such as the Internet of Things, machine learning, robotics, artificial intelligence, extended reality, and other advanced subjects, according to the state minister for ICT.

According to Palak, another initiative aimed at establishing a Bangladesh-India Digital Edutainment Center is also nearing completion.

The project is expected to cost Tk150-200 crore, with the Indian government contributing Tk50 crore.

Under the proposed project, the two countries would collaborate to establish 64 digital edutainment centers across the country, where education, training, and entertainment will all be delivered at the same time.