State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Friday said over 13 crore people are now using the internet and employment opportunities have been created for 20 lakh youths in this sector.

“The number of internet users in the country was only 56 lakh 13 years ago. Currently, it has increased to 13 crore by the outstanding contribution to the Prime Minister’s ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy,” he said while presenting the keynote paper at the two-day Awami League's International Conference on the Fourth Industrial Revolution at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Dhaka.

Palak said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman received the membership of the International Telecommunication Union on September 5, 1973, adding, “He (Bangabandhu) established the first satellite station at Betbunia on June 14, 1975, and established telecommunication with the entire world.”

“The Father of the Nation’s dream was that Bangladesh would have its own satellite. We had to wait 47 years to materialise his dream.”

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The state minister said Bangabandhu's dream has been fulfilled by his worthy and far-sighted daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“On May 12, 2018, under the leadership of Sajeeb Wazed Joy, we launched our first satellite. Currently, 6.50 lakh financiers are working at home in foreign companies. They don't have to come to Dhaka. They don't have to go to Europe and America. This is Sheikh Hasina's digital Bangladesh,” he said.

Palak said that many used to joke about ‘Digital Bangladesh’, adding, “Our political opponents also used to talk about the digital vision. But our Jananetree Sheikh Hasina has proved that if there is honesty, foresight, and courage, surely a country can be improved from a least developed country into a developed medium technology-dependent digital one.”