The 24th meeting of the Social Responsibility Fund (SOF) Management Committee took place on Monday in the conference room of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) at Agargaon, Dhaka. The session was chaired by Md. Nahid Islam, Advisor to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology. Notable attendees included Dr. Md. Mushfiqur Rahman, Secretary of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications; Major General Md. Emdad Ul Bari, Chairman of BTRC; and various project managers and business organization leaders.
The meeting was conducted by the committee’s member secretary, Brigadier General Mohammad Khalil-ur-Rehman, Director General of BTRC. Additional key participants included MTB Secretary General Md. Zulfiqar and ISPAB General Secretary Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan.
Discussions focused on the ongoing fifth phase of projects under the SOF, including the Bangladesh Computer Council’s Connect Bangladesh Project, Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited’s VSAT Project, Teletalk’s Haor-Baor Initiative, and BTCL’s Wi-Fi Project. These initiatives collectively account for expenditures of approximately BDT 12 billion, with an additional BDT 6 billion currently deposited in the fund. The advisor emphasized utilizing these resources for new projects, suggesting that an additional BDT 2.5 billion is expected to be added to the fund in the coming year.
In his address, the chief guest advocated for the implementation of smaller, high-impact projects to ensure equitable distribution of benefits. He emphasized prioritizing projects that could be completed within the tenure of the interim government.
The SOF, established under the Social Responsibility Fund Rules, 2021, is dedicated to expanding telecommunications and ICT services in underserved regions, addressing disparities in access and fostering digital inclusion across Bangladesh.
