Money
ICT Day May 2 made official
The celebration of Information, Communi-cations and Technology (ICT) Day on May 2 every year has been made official by a Cabinet decision reached on Friday.The celebration of Information, Communi-cations and Technology (ICT) Day on May 2 every year has been made official by a Cabinet decision reached on Friday.
The Federation of Computer Associations of Nepal (CAN Federation) and government agencies have been marking ICT Day on May 2, but it wasn’t official.
“A cabinet meeting has recently decided to observe ICT Day every year on May 2. This is a positive development, and it will definitely make the government more accountable in its quest to promote information technology,” said Birendra Kumar Mishra, director general of the Department of Information Technology.
Though the department currently doesn’t have programmes to support the government’s decision, it will coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology and plan programmes to mark the day, he added.
The CAN Federation expressed happiness over the government’s decision. “This is a historic decision for the people and institutions that have been working in the field of information and technology,” it said in a statement. “The decision has motivated us. It will become a milestone in the development and expansion of information and technology in the country.”
CAN Federation President Dhakal said the celebration of ICT Day would be expanded nationwide and new programmes added. “We believe the government will allocate resources in the budget for the fiscal year 2018-19,” he added.
Dhakal said that separate programmes needed to be planned for urban centers and remote areas. “There is a need to narrow the digital divide. Plus, the government and the private sector will have to collaborate in identifying programmes that can benefit people living in remote areas and urban centres,” he said.
Even though the county has been seeing steady growth in the information and technology sector, there is huge digital divide, and the government needs to focus on remote parts of the country to achieve progress, experts said.