“For us, this is not just a dream, but very much a reality. We are promoting ICT access to every citizen so that no one is left behind,” she said.
ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao formally handed over the prize at the UN Headquarters in New York on Saturday evening, a BSS report said.
Soon after it came to power in 2009, the Awami League-led government had announced plans to digitalise Bangladesh by 2021. It claims to have already achieved ‘a major part’ of the target.
The Access to Information Project under the Prime Minister’s Office was recognised for its role in improving people’s lives through ICT use and conferred the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Award in 2014.
Bangladesh’s progress in the use of ICT to raise living standards was also recognised through the Global ICT Excellence Award given the same year.
While accepting the award on Saturday, Hasina said, “Let us join our hands to remove all road-blocks to a knowledge-based sustainable future.”