Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon the youngsters of the country to be entrepreneurs for creating employment opportunities for others.
The premier made the urge while addressing the "Digital Centre Entrepreneurs Conference" at the National Parade Square in the capital on Tuesday, reports BSS.
Some 11,000 entrepreneurs of over 4,500 Digital Centres joined the conference.
"Instead of relying on others, the youths should be entrepreneurs of their own, stand on their own feet and create employment opportunities for others," Sheikh Hasina said.
Terming the Digital Center entrepreneurs as the "Digital Son" of the country, the premier also urged them to devote themselves to building "Sonar Bangla" as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and thus take the country forward.
In this connection, she mentioned that the country's youths could now take collateral-free loan up to Tk1 lakh from the Karmasangsthan Bank and start their businesses.
"The ceiling of loan would be raised to Tk2 lakh in future to create further scope for self-employment," she said.
The prime minister also said her government has a plan to set up high-tech park in every district alongside the main high-tech park in the capital.
Noting that the countrywide internet speed now is not time-befitting, Sheikh Hasina said her government has taken various steps to raise the internet speed and high speed internet would be made available in future.
Mentioning that some five crore services have so far been provided from the Union Digital Centres, the prime minister said.
Highlighting various forms of services from the Digital Centers including over some 200 e-services to the rural people, Sheikh Hasina said some 40 lakh students are being imparted education through some 23,500 multimedia classrooms while multimedia classrooms would be set up in all schools across the country gradually.
She said that Digital Centers are also offering outsourcing and training facilities for the youths through which they could gain more skills and raise their incomes.
The prime minister also renewed her pledge to build a hunger- and poverty-free middle-income country well before 2021 and a developed nation by 2041.
PM's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy said it is fact that the speed and quality of internet services is lagging behind in over 4,500 Digital Centers across the country.
But the government has taken an initiative and it would be possible to ensure high speed broadband internet to every union in the next four years.
He said when the election manifesto of Awami League was unveiled in 2008 to build Digital Bangladesh, many had then termed it impossible due to scarcity of power and internet.
"But, after five years, "Digital Bangladesh" is now a reality," he said.
The PM's son said he had recently visited Rangpur and talked with the entrepreneurs of a Digital Center where they had informed him that they are earning Tk50,000 to Tk60,000 per month by rendering various services to the people through the centre.