JASHORE, Dec 18, 2021 (BSS) – Economic enormity is climbing up rapidly as
the country’s digital landscape goes through an envious technology-ridden
environment. This has been possible as the government has adopted a process
driven approach to transform many places of the country into technology hubs
to cope with the changing global economic scenario.
Towards making people economically solvent Bangladesh faces a historic
opportunity to see Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park emerging as an
information technology (IT) hub in the southwestern region of the country.
This inspirational technological venture has created a congenial
environment for technology-based work as it was built in 2017 at a cost of
Taka 283 crore.
The IT park makes the area more conducive to IT sector growth and also
Bangladesh one of the country’s foremost IT hubs.
It is hemmed with eye-catching greenery and lakes and has created a room
for a large number of entrepreneurs and 2000 employments, facilitating
working on software development, freelancing and outsourcing, call centres,
and research and development.
According to the park authorities, a total of 56 entrepreneurs have
already invested in the park while 46 are currently working, creating
employment for 2,000 people.
Rakib Hasan, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Jashore IT, is operating
his outsourcing firm with 22 employees from his park office, which is working
with the USA, Canada and the UK based clients. His company in the last fiscal
year earned remittance worth of around Taka 2 crore.
He said the infrastructure facilities like Sheikh Hasina Software
Technology Park basically created a work environment for the entrepreneurs
and helped launching new startups.
Zahir Iqbal, chairman of the Abacus Soft BD Limited and president of
Jashore Startup, is also operating his company from the technology park where
his company gives training on ICT to the youths and develops software on
freelancing basis.
“I have two offices in the park. We work with the training part and
software-based IT products. We already have imported some IT products to the
USA and India,” he said.
The Joy Bangla Youth Award and the United Nation Volunteer Award winning
youth entrepreneur Zahir said, “Due to the setting up of such infrastructure
after the name of the Prime Minister, we have marched much forward. We are
proud of it as many entrepreneurs and startups like me took space here and
are gathering IT related knowledge under the government initiative”.
The technology park was built on 12.12 acres of land at Bejpara area of the
district town as per Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina commitment she made during
inauguration of Jashore Science and Technology University on December 27,
2010.
The Prime Minister, later, inaugurated the park named after her on December
10 in 2017.
The park has been featured with the country’s second data center called
‘Disaster Recovery Data Center’ with a capacity of three petabyte, providing
an important backup to the country’s first National Tier IV Data Center – in
Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City (BHTC) in Gazipur.
The park comprises around 232,000 square feet of space with modern
facilities including a 15-storey MTB building, 12-storey three-star standard
dormitory building, a state-of-the art convention centre and underground
parking will be able to create employment for 20,000 people.
A total of 135,285 square feet space has already been rented to 56
entrepreneurs while more 168,655 square feet of space is ready for rent in
the 15-storey earthquake resistant composite MTB building.
A private property management company Techcity Bangladesh Limited is
operating and managing the park.
Jashore Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Tamijul Islam Khan said to promote the
country’s IT sector the government has decided to give tax holiday for 10
years to the entrepreneurs investing in the park.
The entrepreneurs in the park are enjoying tariff exemption on importing
capital machinery raw materials while the skilled professionals would get an
income tax holiday for three years, he said.
State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak said around 1,000
youths are now working at the Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park, which
would help the government to go to trade diversification.
Noting that the export income from the technology industry has stood at
US$ 1.3 billion from US$26 million, he said, “We have a target of earning US$
5 billion by exporting IT products from the hardware, software and service
sector (by 2025).” (publish by -BSS/ Syed Altefat Hossain)
