Zunaid Ahmed Palak
'Charer Master' applauded for highlighting Digital Bangladesh
Video streaming site Bongo is presenting seven original telefilms this Eid-ul-Fitr – combining works of Bangla literature and film through its based on books (BoB) project – among which "Charer Master" received applause from ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak for showcasing a non-nonsense story of Digital Bangladesh.
Directed by Vicky Jahed, the telefilm is based on the novel of young writer Rahitul Islam, which features a young computer engineer who leaves his lavish city life and moves to the village to promote education in the rural area. After facing hurdles from society and personal life, the hero's journey ends with fulfilling his aim.
Also read: Bongo introduces seven original telefilm adaptations Based on Books (BoB) this Eid
The state minister was present as the special guest on Facebook live for a recent episode of "Bongo BoB Season 1 Limelight with Charer Master," broadcasted from the Bongo BoB Facebook page.
Referring to the success of Digital Bangladesh in the story, Palak said, "While I interact with the young people during my visits to rural areas, I find that most of them aspire to come to the city or eventually go abroad as they think they might get better opportunities there."
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"Rahitul offers an exceptional example of a hero's journey, showcasing Digital Bangladesh that we dream of, which is very inspiring," he added.
35,000 modern digital labs to be installed to give more access to girls: Palak
The government is establishing 35,000 modern digital laboratories across the country,aiming to encourage and give more access to girls and young women in Information, Communication and Technology (ICT).
State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said this while addressing a virtual roundtable discussion on ‘Accelerating Digital Inclusion for Girls and Women’ as the chief guest.
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He also stressed the need for collaborative effort in mentoring and monitoring from the Government, non-government and private sector to ensure digital inclusion of girls and young women.
KEPZ Hi-Tech park will attract huge FDI, hopes Palak
The Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) Hi-Tech park will play a significant role in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Bangladesh, said State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Wednesday.
"Korea is a pioneer country to invest in Bangladesh and has extended and enhanced its cooperation beyond textile to ICT, energy, blue economy, climate change and infrastructure development for over 45 years," he said.
Palak made the remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the KEPZ Hi-Tech Park mentioning that the collaboration between Bangladesh and South Korea goes a long way.
The Hi-Tech Park was jointly inaugurated by State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun with the physical presence of Kihak Sung, Chairman & CEO of Youngone Corp & KEPZ.
It was a remarkable day for KEPZ in the field of Hi-Tech industrial development, said the Youngone Corp adding that the vision of the company to establish a state-of-the-art Hi-Tech park is coming to a reality.
Also read: S Korea sees brighter ties with Bangladesh with multifarious success stories: Envoy
F-commerce entrepreneurs rising significantly: Palak
State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Sunday said the participation of young entrepreneurs in F-commerce (Facebook commerce) is on the rise significantly.
“At least 400,000 new entrepreneurs are engaged in F-commerce. Bangladesh Bank is going to arrange small loans at 4 percent interest for the entrepreneurs who are engaged in F-commerce and Startup business,” he said at a virtual conference.
Also read: Govt planning to formulate data privacy protection law: Palak
The e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) arranged the virtual conference on Rural to Global E-commerce Policy Conference. LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Tazul Islam inaugurated the event.
Palak also highlighted different initiatives taken by the government for e-commerce and its entrepreneurs in the first session of the conference.
The LGRD minister said people are choosing e-commerce to sell and purchase goods, from food to luxurious products. “Though it (e-commerce) began small, now a sort of dependency (on e-commerce) has been created,” he said.
Also read: Palak unveils software to bridge jobseekers with disabilities ...
Addressing the function, Senior Secretary of Commerce Ministry Dr Jafar Uddin said the commerce ministry has formed a digital commerce cell to implement the digital commerce policy.
“The work is on to finalise the digital commerce operation guidelines 2021. We keep the matter of inclusion of social media commerce entrepreneurs in the guideline under the consideration of the Commerce Ministry,” he said.
Chief executive officer of Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) Obaidul Azam, deputy governor of Bangladesh Abu Farah Md Nasser and Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) Syed Almas Kabir, among others, spoke at the conference presided over by e-CAB president Shomi Kaiser, said a press release.
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GP Explorers 2.0 launched to upskill 357 youths
Grameenphone has recently launched Grameenphone Explorers 2.0, the second batch of its youth-development initiative, to ensure the growth of skills and expertise among future leaders.
The 12-week-long programme officially began with the orientation session on April 1.
At the programme, ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, "Initiatives like Grameenphone Explorer 2.0 are key enablers that help devise how the youth of this country can prepare themselves to contribute to the growth of our great nation and unlock new opportunities for our future generations."
Also read: Grameenphone announces 15,500 4G towers in country
GP Explorers is an innovative upskilling initiative from Grameenphone – targeted to unleash the youths' potential and transform their mindset towards skills of the future.
This year, GP Explorers 2.0 is set to feature a wide range of virtual and real-time engagements between the participants and mentors, focusing on building their communication proficiency, entrepreneurship skills, and digital skills.
The programme also targets grooming their personalities to face the immensely competitive local and global job markets.
Also read: Grameenphone provides Tk 30 crore to workers welfare fund
Also,70% of the learning is designed to take place online with interactive digital tools, and 30% of live classes involve collaborative activities.
GP Explorers 2.0 will also hold regular counselling and experience sharing sessions for the aspiring youths' deep cognitive support.
Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman said, "The first season of GP Explorers has seen significant impact from the three-month programme; the-then trainees are now confidently getting into corporate ecosystems. We are optimistic about finding more of such future leaders, this time with GP Explorers 2.0."
Also read: Grameenphone introduces portable pocket router
Over 1,400 students from 67 renowned educational institutions had applied to be a part of GP Explorers, from where only 357 were chosen to be eligible for the campaign, read a press release.
KOICA helped establish pillars of Digital Bangladesh: Zunaid Palak
State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said KOICA’s different bilateral projects in ICT sector since its operation in Bangladesh remarkably helped Bangladesh to establish the pillars of 'Digital Bangladesh’.
He was addressing a function held in a city hotel on Thursday evening.
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA), jointly celebrated KOICA’s 30th anniversary titled "Deepening Bilateral Ties between Republic of Korea and Bangladesh for LDC Graduation."
Chairman of parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, Fatima Yasmin, Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Lee Jang-keun, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh, Monzur Hossain, MP, President, KBAA and Chairman, Rupali Bank Limited and Young-Ah Doh, Country Director, KOICA Bangladesh Office were present.
Palak unveils software to bridge jobseekers with disabilities and employers
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Sunday inaugurated Emporia, a software developed for the job-seeking individuals with disabilities.
"Emporia will work as a bridge between specially-abled individuals and potential employer organizations," said the State Minister for ICT while inaugurating the software on a virtual platform.
Also read: Administrative work remain uninterrupted amid pandemic due to progress in ICT sector: Palak
The digital platform was developed under the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities including NDD through ICT project.
Minister Palak said this platform will play an important role in reducing hassles for people with disabilities who come to Dhaka from different corners of the country to attend interviews in ‘Job Fairs’ held by the ICT Ministry.
Also read: Draft of data privacy and localization law is prepared: Palak
Through this digital platform, disabled people will be able to receive ICT based training, submit CV for job and give job interviews over video conference, said Palak.
ICT department has taken initiatives to provide various IT training to disabled people, to make them capable according to their necessities, he said in his chief guest’s speech.
Daraz holds policy discussion on e-commerce ecosystem
Online marketplace Daraz organized a virtual panel discussion on e-commerce ecosystem on Wednesday.
Winners of “What Liberation means to me” writing competition announced
Winners of essay writing competition titled "What Liberation Means to Me?” have been announced and awarded.
Curtains down on 14th International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh
The 14th edition of the International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh (ICFFB) came to an end on Friday.