The World Bank in 2007 ranked Bangladesh 92nd among 132 countries and last among 5 countries in the South
Asian subcontinent, with regards to its ICT infrastructure. It is also ranked 123rd and 5th in South Asia, in the
e-services adoption index.
However, despite being behind most South Asian counterparts, Bangladesh has been catching up quickly in the
field of e-Government. According to UN's E-Government readiness report 2008, while most other countries
(including India and Sri Lanka) in the region have slipped significantly in the rankings, Bangladesh advanced 20
steps between 2005 and 2008. Bangladesh's Readiness Index value of 0.29 was not that far behind India (0.38),
although it was still some distance from the regional leader Maldives (0.45). Nevertheless, Bangladesh was still
behind all neighbors except Nepal, Myanmar and Afghanistan.
Completed in 1994-5, and running successfully since, the railway ticketing system automation was the one of
first noticeable large-scale e-Government projects in Bangladesh, and was a major milestone in the path of e-
Government. Since then, a fairly large number of different initiatives have been taken by the government for
the implementation of e-Government [a comprehensive list of e-Government initiatives is given in Appendix
1]. Initially, there was a clear emphasis on building ICT infrastructure, possibly deemed as a pre-requisite to
the delivery of e-citizen services. However, despite some successes, many of these e-government projects did
not sustain in the long run due to lack of long-term visions for those projects, and myriad other challenges.
Over time, the government modified its approach and undertook strategies to address some of those
challenges. Increasing number of citizen centric e-services projects was gradually undertaken. However, due
to various factors, many of those projects had limited scope, and interoperability and integration between
those services were largely absent. In the era of the present government, a confluence of favorable factors
has been playing a positive role towards a renewed vigor towards the prospects of e-Government.
2.1. Evolution of e-Government in Bangladesh
e-services adoption index.
However, despite being behind most South Asian counterparts, Bangladesh has been catching up quickly in the
field of e-Government. According to UN's E-Government readiness report 2008, while most other countries
(including India and Sri Lanka) in the region have slipped significantly in the rankings, Bangladesh advanced 20
steps between 2005 and 2008. Bangladesh's Readiness Index value of 0.29 was not that far behind India (0.38),
although it was still some distance from the regional leader Maldives (0.45). Nevertheless, Bangladesh was still
behind all neighbors except Nepal, Myanmar and Afghanistan.
Completed in 1994-5, and running successfully since, the railway ticketing system automation was the one of
first noticeable large-scale e-Government projects in Bangladesh, and was a major milestone in the path of e-
Government. Since then, a fairly large number of different initiatives have been taken by the government for
the implementation of e-Government [a comprehensive list of e-Government initiatives is given in Appendix
1]. Initially, there was a clear emphasis on building ICT infrastructure, possibly deemed as a pre-requisite to
the delivery of e-citizen services. However, despite some successes, many of these e-government projects did
not sustain in the long run due to lack of long-term visions for those projects, and myriad other challenges.
Over time, the government modified its approach and undertook strategies to address some of those
challenges. Increasing number of citizen centric e-services projects was gradually undertaken. However, due
to various factors, many of those projects had limited scope, and interoperability and integration between
those services were largely absent. In the era of the present government, a confluence of favorable factors
has been playing a positive role towards a renewed vigor towards the prospects of e-Government.
2.1. Evolution of e-Government in Bangladesh
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