The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Sirajganj

With the touch of information and communication technology (ICT), Madhainagar has turned into a model union of the country ushering in new hopes for its people.

The most modern technology has brought about revolutionary changes in the life and living of 25,000 people of Madhainagar, once a neglected area of Tarash upazila in Sirajganj district.

The people of the union, two kilometres northeast off the upazila headquarters, now get all information about agriculture, education, health, business, sports through community-based e- centre (CeC) and make invaluable contribution to the socio- economic development.

The union has 29 villages and 90 percent of its people are farmers and workers and the Santal community constitutes 45 percent of the population.

The CeC is a pilot project under Democratic Government Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF) and its work began in two unions in Bangladesh in May 2007. The unions are Madhainagar and Mushidhat under Setabganj upazila in Dinajpur district.

The first phase of the project ended in December last year and later the CeC was included in the Driver Project of Access to Information(A2I) Programme, Chief Adviser's Office, with the financial assistance of UNDP, said Manik Mahmud, a consultant of A2I Programme.

He said the aim of the project is to find out such type of model by which information services could be reached to the doorstep of grassroots people and the model will have all elements to sustain socially and economically.

The whole management of the CeC is being run by a committee headed by the UP chairman. Teachers, doctors, farmers, students, women, government and non-government field workers and UP members have also been included in the committee, Manik said.

He said people of the union now get both offline and online information from the CeC such as different government forms, information about agriculture, health, education, law, human rights, employment and marketing.

Besides, services like compose, printing, photo, scanning, email, internet browsing and multimedia projector are being provided to the rural people at a nominal price, Manik said.

Talking to BSS, people from different levels of the union highly appreciated the concerned authorities for setting up the CeC in Madhainagar, saying that they are being benefited immensely through the centre.

"The people of my union are being benefited immensely through the CeC as they get information easily about agriculture, health, education, law, human rights, employment and marketing," said Mohammad Waheduzzaman, Chairman of Madhainagar UP.