An analysis of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division’s achievements over the past 180 days under the BNP-led government shows significant progress in IT law reform, cyber data governance and the use of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The assessment covers the period since Fakir Mahbub Anam took charge of the ministry under the government led by Tarique Rahman. However, progress has been comparatively slow in expanding geographical connectivity and implementing physical infrastructure projects.
The strongest advances have been recorded in legislation, cybersecurity and data infrastructure. The National Parliament approved the Cyber Security Act 2026, Personal Data Protection Act 2026 and National Data Systems Act 2026, establishing a legal foundation for digital security. The launch of the CIRS (report.ncsa.gov.bd) and NRS portals, along with an additional 6 petabytes of capacity at the National Data Center and the installation of new GPU servers, has also been identified as a major development.
Under inclusive technology initiatives, the AI division released a Bangla screen reader, digitally preserved 42 indigenous languages, and completed 100% of the work on sign language.
The biggest shortfall, however, has been in the institutional broadband connectivity programme. Of the targeted 18,334 institutions, connections have been completed at only 11,470—around 62.5%—leaving approximately 37.5% still under implementation. This indicates slower-than-expected progress against the programme’s timeline.
Comparative Progress and Limitations
| Sector |
Key Achievements |
Weaknesses / Delays |
| Law & Strategic Security |
Three major laws passed; NRDEX pilot completed |
Delay in implementing the ‘One Citizen One ID’ project |
| AI & Language |
Bangla LLM assistant developed; 42 languages digitally preserved |
Freelancers’ ‘Working Space’ remains at the draft stage |
| Infrastructure & Data Centers |
6 PB of additional data storage; AI data center allocated in Purbachal |
Progress largely stalled at district level, apart from 15 upazila centers |
| Internet Connectivity |
Connections completed at 11,470 institutions |
37.5% of the targeted connections remain unfinished |
| Startups & Grants |
Tk 41.28 crore in research grants and a Tk 500 crore fund |
National Startup Portal launched, but implementation remains at an early stage |
//DBTech/Correspondent/SubEditor/OutputEditor//
