Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday underscored the need for increasing capability of cyber security, saying that steps will have to be taken so that none could commit crimes by using digital facilities.

‘Some problems linked to security have been created with digitisation and for this, our capability of cyber security will have to be enhanced ... we will have to stay alert so that security of the financial sector and secret issues is not hampered in any way,’ she said.

In this connection, Sheikh Hasina said necessary manpower will be created alongside procuring equipment to check cybercrime.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating the ‘Digital World-2016’, the flagship annual event of the country’s ICT sector, at the International Convention City Bashundhara in the capital this morning.

The ICT Division has organised the three-day event with the theme ‘Non-stop Bangladesh’ with the assistance of the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) and a2i Programme of the Prime Minister’s office.

State Minister for ICT Division Junaid Ahmed Palak, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Post, Telecommunication and ICT Ministry Imran Ahmed, ICT Division Secretary Shyam Sundar Shikdar, BCC President Mostafa Jabbar, executive director of BCC SM Ashraful Islam, project director of a2i Programme Kabir Bin Anwar also spoke at the function.

At the function, an audiovisual presentation on notable progress and development of women in ICT sector was made.

The prime minister later inaugurated six ‘smart buses’ having all ICT facilities for imparting training to the women on ICT.

Referring to her government’s steps for enacting the Digital Security Act 2016, the premier said under the law, the government would set up world standard forensic lab, constitute Cyber Security Agency, establish cyber incidents responsive team and a high-level digital security council.

As part of further ensuring capacity of digital security, she said, steps have also been taken to connect Bangladesh with the second submarine cable as there is no alternate submarine cable in the country.

 ‘We formed a single ministry by merging the post and telecommunication ministry and ICT ministry for coordination of information technology and telecommunication,’ she said.

Citing that the work on installing country’s first own satellite ‘the Bangabandhu Satellite-1,’ is progressing fast, she said Bangladesh could even export satellite bandwidth after launching its journey in 2017 and meeting the demand.

Sheikh Hasina said her government put highest importance on education to build Digital Bangladesh and made ICT education compulsory from class six to 12^th class.

About digital lab, Sheikh Hasina said 5,500 labs including 2100 Sheikh Russel Digital Lab have so far been set up in the country while more 10,000 Sheikh Russel Digital Labs would be established by the end of 2018.

Besides, she said, the government approved ‘Innovation Design Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA)’ project aimed at giving innovative works an institutional shape and expanding IT Start-up initiative alongside beginning wide ranging works titled ‘One Thousand Innovation by 2021’.

The prime minister said every upazila of the country has been brought under optical fibre connection and 3G network, while bandwidth price reduced to Tk 625 that was Tk 76,000 in 2007.

‘Steps have also been taken to introduce 4G network in 2017, she said adding that 13 crore mobile SIM are being used while 6.40 crore people are now using internet in Bangladesh,’ she said

Sheikh Hasina said rural people are now receiving about 200 types of services digitally from digital centres across the country. Apart from this, she said, about three thousand post offices have been transformed into digital service centers.

The premier said Bangladesh is now exporting software and ICT services to about 40 countries including some developed nations.

She said a project titled ‘Learning and Earning’ is also being implemented for increasing efficiency on the outsourcing of the young people through using ICT, adding 55,000 male and female youths would be trained up on freelancing under the project.

The prime minister also mentioned role of her ICT affairs adviser and son Sajeeb Wazed Joy in building Digital Bangladesh, saying that he is the main architect of implementation of the Digital Bangladesh.

In recognition of his contribution, she said, Joy received ICT for Development Award-2016 for which she is very much proud as his mother.

Later, the prime minister inaugurated the Digital World 2016 digitally by pressing a switch. Earlier a small robot invited her to open the expo.

Sheikh Hasina also visited different stalls set up in the International Convention City in Bashundhara on the occasion of Digital World 2016.

The Digital World-2016 would showcase the technology-based innovations and achievements and facilitate in a single platform for sharing ICT knowledge and ideas.

The event would be the major focus for the government decision makers in the ICT sector, chief executives and high profile tech persons and thousands of spectators.

Over 200 speakers including 43 from world famous organisations such as Microsoft, facebook, the World Bank, ZTE, Huawei are expected to take part in 18 sessions.

Besides, seven ministers from seven countries will take part in the inter-ministerial conference.

The exposition would be based on the major targets of showcasing achievements of Bangladesh in ICT and offering a single platform for free-flow of ICT related ideas which would guide the country toward achieving Vision 2021.

The three-day mega event would include 12 seminars, IT career fair, soft expo, e-Governance expo, mobile innovation expo, e-commerce and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) programme.

Over 5,00,000 visitors including 43 foreign ICT experts, corporate, institutional and individual buyers as well as wide range of people including investors and entrepreneurs, government officials and policy makers, professionals, journalists, academicians and students are expected to visit the expo this year.