It is most unfortunate that the “Nagorik Sheba Kendra,” an initiative launched by the interim government in Dhaka last year with the goal to provide 450 essential services to the citizens, have effectively become non-functional. According to a Prothom Alo report, of the six centres opened in the capital’s Gulshan, Uttara, Nilkhet, Gulistan, Mohammadpur and Banasree areas under a pilot project, four are now closed while one centre is occasionally open. The Gulshan centre is the only one that is operating regularly, but it receives very few service seekers.
The centres were initially designed to handle applications for government services, with the longer-term goal of becoming a single gateway through which citizens could receive complete services. For instance, someone applying for a passport would eventually be able to complete the application, provide fingerprints, have their photograph and biometric information recorded, and have the application forwarded to the relevant government office, avoiding going there in person. The centres were also supposed to provide services such as NID and birth registrations, land services and online GDs, with trained and certified personnel assisting citizens for government-set fees.
However, the personnel were reportedly not provided with the essential equipment or reliable internet connectivity. They found it difficult to run the centres and eventually left. We must ask: why was such a major public service initiative launched without first ensuring the necessary budget, infrastructure, institutional coordination and capacity?
In 2010, the Awami League government launched Union Digital Centres (UDCs) to bring government and other services closer to the citizens. It was largely similar to the interim government’s citizen service centres, with trained local entrepreneurs providing various services for a fee. However, the interim government’s initial plan was not to replace the UDCs but to bring them under the new system. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Reportedly, the ICT Division is now considering launching a similar initiative named Rural Digital Centres. Before doing so, it must first assess why the existing initiatives have failed.
We urge the government to properly examine the Nagorik Sheba Kendra initiative before deciding whether to close or revive the centres. If it chooses to revive them, it must ensure reliable connectivity and adequate resources, establish clear institutional responsibilities, train and support the service providers, and raise public awareness about the services available. Most importantly, the centres must be properly integrated into the relevant government agencies and digital platforms. Citizens deserve a service system that works, not another initiative that is abandoned soon after its launch.
