a2i initiatives emerge as blessings for people during

IT Live: Easy access to information and communication technology (ICT) immensely helped people across the country in overcoming the hardships rendered by Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to implementation of ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by the present government. 

During the miserable days of lockdown and virus panic, normal life and even emergency services were hampered in almost everywhere in the world and Bangladesh was not an exception. But the people here enjoyed the blessing of ICT to make life easier. 

UNDP, Bangladesh-supported a2i project of the ICT Division and the Cabinet Division took many initiatives as part of the government’s Digital Bangladesh agenda which translated people’s dreams into reality, especially in the remote areas.  

Meena is one of those in remote areas who took the help of ICT to ease their difficulties during the pandemic. Meena’s father was sick. Her father had many complications resulting from diabetes and had to take regular insulin to keep him well.

 The sudden lockdown following the outbreak of Covid-19 had trapped her family inside their area at Ratnapalong union under Ukhiyaupazila in Cox’s Bazar and she was unable to replenish her father’s insulin stock.

Being worried, she sought assistance from the government-run emergency e-commerce service ‘Phone e Nittoponno’ through 333 and made a request for insulin for her father from their usual medical store since she could not take the risk of going out of her home.

A volunteer from the service had delivered the insulin the very next day at her residence at Court Bazar Boro Bridge at Ratnapalong, taking proper precautions for contactless delivery.

‘Phone e Nittoponno’, an initiative of the a2i appeared as ‘god out of the machine’ to Meena during her dire need. 
 
 Talking to BSS, Adnan Faisal, Communications & Media Outreach Consultant of a2i, said following the outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Bangladesh, "ekShop" has set up the e-commerce platform in July 2020, wherein people in lockdown areas could order their essentials by dialing the national helpline 333 with extension 333-5.
 “Due to the second time shutdown, many of the citizens could not go out. Hence, they ordered daily essential goods through the Phone-e-Nittoponno service of the National helpline 333-5. This time, alongside Dhaka, people in the nearby districts are also ordering from 333-5,” he said.

The a2i has taken different initiatives in combating COVID-19 situation. 

The national helpline is one of those remarkable steps. People get information on COVID-19, emergency health advice, daily essential items, medicines and food assistance by dialling the number - ‘333’.

She wanted to get her father vaccinated and subsequently found a very simple and easy way to this end. She registered her father’s name through the ‘Surokkha App’ and received a massage within a short time.

Then her father was inoculated in the right time without any hassle.
The ICT Division of the government has developed the ‘Surokkha App’ as part of its endeavour to ensure digitization in every sector aiming to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

During the lockdown, e-governance, online meeting, e-commerce and online cattle market have become very popular which indicates the progress in achieving SDGs.

 The people also get different health related services through dialing ‘333-1’. And the people can buy daily essentials and medicines through dialing ‘333-5’ number.

Physically challenged person Taj Uddin of Sujaul Panchpara village in Borolekhaupazila in Moulvibazar sought food assistance on May 6 last through dialing the national helpline.

 
Twin sister Israt Jahan Anisha and Nusrat Jahan Tanisha (14) can now spontaneously log in Facebook, enjoy live classes, take notes as they need, ask questions and submit their home works in the comment box thanks to the virtual learning that helps thousands of children like them continue their education amid Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

“We're happy that we are taking part in virtual classes as well as getting our teachers in our house via the digital hubs, specially laptop and android phone,” said Anisha while sharing her experience about online learning.

Although they are residing in their house of Jamadder Dangi village of Charmadhobdia union under Faridpur Sadarupazila (10 kilometer off their school), their school and teachers come to their house magically,” said their father Ayub Ansari.

Faridpur Virtual School (Amar Ghore Amar School -My Home My School) has played a very important role for popularizing online teaching as it connects thousands of students with their teachers and institutions in the pandemic situation of Covid-19.

Common people of the Savar upazila, like elsewhere in the country, are also being benefited in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic through surfing the government sponsored web-portal ‘corona info’.

 “This web portal is very helpful. We had taken medical advice and followed health rules taking the help of the site when I along with my husband and two sons became positive for coronavirus,” said Helen Keller, a teacher of Savar Manikandan primary school.

 The government’s Digital Bangladesh flagship programme, the a2i with the support of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Affairs is running the ‘corona info’ web portal - www.corona.gov.bd – offering a kind of one-stop digital health services related to the pandemic to the masses.

 I and my family members were anxious about my health since all healthcare facilities were virtually shut for other patients except the Covid-affected ones,” Hriday Moni, a resident of Adarshanagar village of Mohongonjupazila, told BSS recently.

At that time, she came to know about the “Ma-Telehealth Center” being run by the Department of Women and Children Affairs, under the supervision of a2i of the Cabinet Division and the ICT Division with the support from the UNDP, to render health services to pregnant and lactating mothers and children.

A total of 75 specialist physicians are rendering the digital health services to the enlisted pregnant and lactating mothers and children, she said, adding, “The Ma-Telehealth service has emerged as an extraordinary healthcare programme for the families of the general and pregnant mothers in the 39 upazilas”.

Md Arif, a small but locally popular entrepreneur in Cumilla district, has been delivering different types of products through the country's largest e-commerce aggregator 'ekShop' centre regularly.

Arif had fallen in depression about his much-invested online business over the delivering issue and his depression deepened when e-commerce got momentum due to the COVID-19 pandemic as his deliverymen were facing the crisis of identifying the addresses of the customers on Google Maps.

In the meantime, he got an offer through e-mail for doing a short course on capacity building on how to use Google Maps for product and e-commerce delivery during the corona virus period.

From the short course, Arif said, he came to know that important establishments across the country such as hospitals, pharmacies, big grocery stores or super-shops have been included in the Google Maps through the 'Bangladesh Challenge' campaign launched by the a2i.

Once getting consultations from expert physicians was beyond the imagination of the people of Badarkhali, a remote union in Cox's Bazar's Chakaria upazila, where healthcare facilities are very insufficient.

But the implementation of Digital Bangladesh made dream come true for rural people as it has reached advanced medicare facilities in the rural area.
Some comments of Ahmedur Rahman, a farmer who resides at Block No. 3 under Badarkhali union, portrayed the scenario of development in the locality in the field of health sector.

Rahman continued: "Accordingly, I did that and stayed at home after consulting with specialist physicians. Getting treatment through telemedicine service, all of our family recovered from illness."  
Under this circumstance, Digital Bangladesh initiative offered a ray of hope for Morshed as he started doing e-commerce staying home. He initiated his business with products like "shutki" (dried fish), pickles, vegetables and so on. Now he is self-reliant.

Dhaka, 29 November (campuslive24.com)//BSC

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