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Govt prepares draft ‘National Robotic Strategy’


Bangladeshpost
Published : 29 Jul 2020 09:56 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 09:42 PM

The government has prepared a National Strategy for Robotics (NRS) with 10 action plans aimed at creating more jobs in various sectors, increasing production and reducing its cost, reports BSS.

The proposed NRS identified some high prospective sectors for using robots for increasing production and creating employment opportunities. The sectors are: hi-tech manufacturing, leather and leather products, agriculture, furniture, teleportation and BPO, food processing, Manufacturing and SMEs, e- Commerce, healthcare service and delivery.

The draft NRS is the outcome of a series of meetings between LICT Project of ICT Division and more than 20 different sectors including different trade body leaders, said a press release.

“The strategy paper should be made neatly and properly aiming to benefit the country as Bangladesh wanted to be the early adapter of frontier technologies like robotics,” Senior Secretary of ICT Division N M Zeaul Alam told a workshop today on the proposed NRS.

He said the cutting-edge technologies are being introduced by many countries of the world in manufacturing and services sectors and Bangladesh cannot be a silent spectator when digitization is progressing very fast in the country.

Organised by LICT Project of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), the function was addressed, among others, by Managing Director of Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority Hosne Ara Begum, BCC Executive Director Parthapratim Deb, Additional Secretary of ICT Division Mamun Al-Rashid, LICT Project Director Md Rezaul Karim, Professor of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering Department of Dhaka University Dr. Lafifa Jamal, BASIS President Syed Almas Kabir and BACCO President Wahidur Rahman Sharif.

Professor of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of North South University Dr M Rokonuzzaman presented a keynote paper on the National Robotics Industry while LICT Project Director Sami Ahmed conducted the function.

Hosne Ara called upon the ICT industry leaders and owners to set up assembling plant for manufacturing robotics at the Bangabandhu Hi-tech City, Kaliakoir and the Hi-tech authority will provide all out assistance to them to set up the plant.

Emphasizing on re-skilling and up-skilling of the workforces, the draft strategy said a substantial number of new jobs will be created due to introduction of robots in the sectors like agriculture, furniture, footwear, health, light engineering, IT, BPO, E-Commerce amidst apprehension of losing job from readymade garments (RMG), footwear, furniture due to expansion of business.

Parthapratim said some more areas including nanotechnology should be incorporated in the NRS.
“There is worry about job loss due to introduction of robots in various sectors, but lots of new job will be created,” said Rokonuzzaman.

He said the draft NSR has blended labor advantage with robotics for maintaining competitiveness of existing industries, promote creativity, imagination and innovation among youths.