Six digital centres have been established to ensure easy, fast and low-cost access to public and private services for RMG workers in Gazipur and fisheries workers in Khulna.
The centres will remain operational for one year.
Access to Information Bangladesh (a2i) and USAID jointly established the centres, five in Gazipur and one in Khulna, reports UNB citing a press release.
Deputy Commissioner of Gazipur District Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir inaugurated the digital centres by opening one at Workers’ Community Center (WCC) of Tongi in Gazipur.
Joining from Dhaka through video conferencing, a2i's Policy Adviser Anir Chowdhury highlighted different aspects of digital centre.
From these digital centres, people of those areas, including workers of garments and fisheries industries, will receive more than 150 public and private services, financial inclusion services, quickly and at a lower cost as well as they will be able to buy and sell more than 500,000 different products online through agent banking and rural e-commerce 'ekShop'.
Among these centres, three are connected to WCC, of which two are in Tongi and Konabari of Gazipur, and the other one is in Rupsa area of Khulna.
The other three centres are located in Gazipur's Board Bazar, Kashimpur and Vogra areas with concentration of RMG factories.
In each digital centre, a male and a female entrepreneur will provide services while necessary trainings have been provided to them from a2i.
Digital centres will provide services every day from 7:00am to 10:00pm.
USAID's Office Director Tom Pope, Country Program Director of USAID Solidarity Center Christopher Johnson, Councilors of 50 and 49 no wards of Gazipur Kazi Abu Bakar Siddique and Faruk Ahmed, female councilor Nasrin Akter Shirin, representatives and senior officials of FBCCI, BGMEA, BKMEA, USAID and a2i were also present during the inauguration, among others.