DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday categorically said the incumbent government made information and technology education compulsory with a view to making the new generation highly skilled in using technology.

The premier, also ruling Awami League president, made the assertion while addressing the inauguration ceremony of four-day long Digital World 2015 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the afternoon.

She further said, ”The government has made a commitment to build a digital country by 2021 where everyone including rich and poor, educated and uneducated will get the benefits of technology.”

Sheikh Hasina added: ”We want to ensure the sustainable use of technology and its availability for the empowerment of people and socio-economic development.”

The premier also mentioned that the government has established classrooms with multimedia facilities in some 20,000 educational institutions with the view to make the new generation apt in the use of technology.

Priaising private sectors, the premier said, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) has trained more than 23,000 people for the sector.

BASIS is also working on making 1,000,000 internet users within 2018, she added.

Sheikh Hasina also hoped that the sofatware export income will cross US $250 million in the current fiscal year (2014-15).

She also disclosed that the government has fixed to raise the sofatware export income to US $1 billion by 2018 and to raise software and service sector’s  contribution in GDP to one percent.

BDST: 1728 HRS, FEB 09, 2015