India a close friend: Bangladesh

Dhaka: India is a close friend helping to build a digital Bangladesh, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said here on Monday. Speaking on the occasion of the award of tender to set up six Bangladesh Bharat digital service employment and training centres in as many districts of Bangladesh, Palak outlined several areas of cooperation between the two countries. Outlining the cooperation between the two countries in the ICT sector, Palak said they were cooperating in the field of cyber security for which an MoU was signed in 2017. A meeting will be held over the next three-six months on cyber security and start-up cooperation. He said that approval of the Cabinet Committee on Government Procurement (CCGP) was obtained on January 16 for award of work to Indian contractors for package 1 and 2 of the 12 IT/Hi-Tech Park project being taken up under India’s Line of Credit. Physical work will start very soon, he said. Describing the vibrant start-up ecosystem of Bangladesh, the Minister said that in the last four years, these start-ups have attracted FDI worth over $800 million from places like the US and India among others. He said that Bangladesh and India are working together to explore the possibility of B2B matchmaking and start-up investment. This follows the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to 50 young entrepreneurs from Bangladesh and a similar initiative by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to link the start-ups of both the countries. Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami thanked Bangladesh for expediting the 12 IT/Hi_tech Park Project. 

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