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Keeping in mind the concept of “Smart Bangladesh”, the budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 will focus on creating smart manpower to cope with the impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Officials said the lack of smart manpower will hinder the transformation of the country into a “Smart Bangladesh”. Therefore, the government plans to prioritise capacity building by providing the necessary training.
“We are going to focus on Smart Bangladesh in the next budget,” said a senior finance ministry official.
He said that the impacts of 4IR will last for 15 to 20 years, so the government is now taking steps to address these impacts.
The official involved in budget preparation emphasised that Smart Bangladesh is not solely about information and communications technology; it rather encompasses being smart in everything, everywhere. That’s the essence of the concept.
According to another finance ministry official, line ministries will develop programmes for the required training under the Smart Bangladesh concept, and they will receive the necessary budget starting from the fiscal year 2024-25.
He said the ICT ministry is currently leading the efforts related to the Smart Bangladesh concept, but every ministry will have to work accordingly.
“Young people will remain at the top of the players in the Smart Bangladesh,” he noted.
He said that the finance minister’s budget speech for the next fiscal year will include a detailed mention of the Smart Bangladesh concept.
There will be no direct allocation specifically targeting 4IR impacts and the Smart Bangladesh concept in the next budget, but there will be a commitment, said the official.
He, however, said that the budget for fiscal year 2024-25 will contain specific plans, programmes, and the necessary financial allocations for 4IR and the Smart Bangladesh concept.
Officials said various ministries have already begun providing training to their officials, as well as officials working in departments and agencies under them, to prepare them to successfully confront the challenges of the 4IR.
Currently, they are focusing on training officials who possess expertise in ICT and the heads of the innovation teams, while the remaining officials will receive training in phases.