Hasina Tech Park drives southwestern parts

Jashore Correspondent:Economic enormity is climbing up rapidly asthe country’s digital landscape goes through an envious technology-riddenenvironment. This has been possible as the government has adopted a processdriven approach to transform many places of the country into technology hubsto cope with the changing global economic scenario.
Towards making people economically solvent Bangladesh faces a historicopportunity to see Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park emerging as aninformation technology (IT) hub in the southwestern region of the country.
This inspirational technological venture has created a congenialenvironment for technology-based work as it was built in 2017 at a cost ofTk 283 crore.
The IT Park makes the area more conducive to IT sector growth and alsoBangladesh one of the country’s foremost IT hubs.
It is hemmed with eye-catching greenery and lakes and has created a roomfor a large number of entrepreneurs and 2000 employments, facilitatingworking on software development, freelancing and outsourcing, call centresand research and development.
According to the park authorities, a total of 56 entrepreneurs havealready invested in the park while 46 are currently working, creatingemployment for 2,000 people. Rakib Hasan, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Jashore IT, is operatinghis outsourcing firm with 22 employees from his park office, which is workingwith the USA, Canada and the UK based clients. His company in the last fiscalyear earned remittance worth of around Tk 2 crore.
He said the infrastructure facilities like Sheikh Hasina SoftwareTechnology Park basically created a work environment for the entrepreneursand helped launching new startups.
Zahir Iqbal, chairman of the Abacus Soft BD Limited and president ofJashore Startup, is also operating his company from the technology park wherehis company gives training on ICT to the youths and develops software onfreelancing basis.
“I have two offices in the park. We work with the training part andsoftware-based IT products. We already have imported some IT products to theUSA and India,” he said.
The Joy Bangla Youth Award and the United Nation Volunteer Award winningyouth entrepreneur Zahir said, “Due to the setting up of such infrastructureafter the name of the Prime Minister, we have marched much forward. We are proud of it as many entrepreneurs and startups like me took space here andare gathering IT related knowledge under the government initiative”.
The technology park was built on 12.12 acres of land at Bejpara area of thedistrict town as per Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina commitment she made duringinauguration of Jashore Science and Technology University on December 27,2010.
The Prime Minister, later, inaugurated the park named after her on December10 in 2017.
The park has been featured with the country’s second data center called’Disaster Recovery Data Center’ with a capacity of three petabyte, providingan important backup to the country’s first National Tier IV Data Center – inBangabandhu Hi-Tech City (BHTC) in Gazipur.
The park comprises around 232,000 square feet of space with modernfacilities including a 15-storey MTB building, 12-storey three-star standarddormitory building, a state-of-the art convention centre and undergroundparking will be able to create employment for 20,000 people.
A total of 135,285 square feet space has already been rented to 56entrepreneurs while more 168,655 square feet of space is ready for rent inthe 15-storey earthquake resistant composite MTB building.
A private property management company Techcity Bangladesh Limited isoperating and managing the park.
Jashore Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Tamijul Islam Khan said to promote thecountry’s IT sector the government has decided to give tax holiday for 10years to the entrepreneurs investing in the park.
The entrepreneurs in the park are enjoying tariff exemption on importingcapital machinery raw materials while the skilled professionals would get anincome tax holiday for three years, he said.
State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak said around 1,000youths are now working at the Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park, whichwould help the government to go to trade diversification. Noting that the export income from the technology industry has stood atUS$ 1.3 billion from US$26 million, he said, “We have a target of earning US$5 billion by exporting IT products from the hardware, software and servicesector (by 2025).”