Law Minister Moudud Ahmed yesterday underscored the need for developing financially viable village information centres across the country so that rural people can become aware of their constitutional rights and improve their lives.
"Ensuring access to information can help bring about a significant change in the lives of rural people. We need to develop self-sustained information centres in rural areas to build a prosperous Bangladesh," he said at a seminar as the chief guest.
Development Research Network (D.Net) organised the seminar on 'ICT and access to information: How to make it work for promoting human rights' in collaboration with Manusher Jonno at the Brac Centre Inn in the city, with Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno, in the chair.
The people are not aware of their rights in most cases as there is a lack of access to information, the minister said, adding that the use of information and communication technology (ICT) can help reduce the gap between the information-haves and the information have-nots.
The more people become aware of their rights, the less incidents of human rights violations will take place, he observed.
Giving a presentation on different aspects of village information centre, Dr Ananya Raihan, executive director of D.Net, said his organisation has been implementing a project styled 'Abolombon - Empowering people through improved access to information on governance and human rights' since March 2005.
Information intermediaries are a vital component of the process of disseminating information about livelihoods through using ICT, he said, adding that providing the information in local language can have a positive impact on the livelihood of the community.
Terming the lack of access to information an obstacle to the empowerment of the rural people, he said it makes them vulnerable to exploitation by middlemen, leaves them exposed to preventable diseases and accidents and deprives them of justice.
Participating in the panel discussion, economist Dr Atiur Rahman said that a positive change is taking place in rural areas through various initiatives. It is also a very positive aspect that the government is not interfering in these initiatives, he added.
Common people would reap enormous benefit if they have access to information, he said.
In her speech, Shaheen Anam lauded the model developed by D.Net, which other organisations can implement for the welfare of the rural people.
People need information at every stage of their lives, she said, adding that the non-government organisations can facilitate the initiatives, but the government should play the key role in this regard.
Stressing the need for reducing poverty in the country, AMM Yahya, director of GrameenPhone, said the community information centres can be financially viable if local people are involved in the process.
Salma Khatun, a mobile phone operator of a village information centre of D.Net, said the villagers, who did not have any idea what a computer is, are now reaping the benefit of ICT after the centre was set up at her village in Nilphamari.
"The use of ICT can bring about a revolutionary change in rural areas," she said.
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