Reaching the Unreached: Strategies and Challenges of Public Service Delivery in ‘Digital Bangladesh’

Information and communication technology introduces an array of options of accessing government services and information on citizens’ own terms. These terms include citizens’ expectations of availing 24×7 services from anywhere through multiple channels at their convenience. To facilitate more access to government services and information, Bangladesh, like other governments of the world, has taken several measures to implement the concept of e-government which resulted into the introduction of the theme of ‘Digital Bangladesh’ (DB) in 2009 integrating all the measures and initiatives of e-government under a single vision. One of the key objectives of the DB is to ensure the technology-based delivery of services at the doorsteps of citizens especially to reach the unreached. In this context, the paper enquires about the emerging form of public service delivery network under the theme of DB particularly focusing on the strategic components like self-service web portal, Public Information Centres installed at different administrative levels and cell phone-based applications. It also attempts to identify the challenges that pose obstruction to the smooth realisation of the initiative. The study concludes that in spite of the challenges, the taken strategies play a seminal role in making the public service delivery more competent and thereby achieving the purpose of reaching the unreached citizen effectively.