ICT division cancels 17 programmes to cut costs

The ICT division of the ministry of posts, telecommunications and information technology cancelled a total of 17 programmes as part of its cost-cutting measures amid the global economic downturn.

The division will also send back Tk 40 crore to the finance division as part of the measures.

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Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT, shared the information at a virtual press conference yesterday.

"We are trying to trim the events, which were supposed to be organised by the ICT division during fiscal 2023," said Palak.

During the fiscal year, the budget allocation to the ICT division for organising different programmes was Tk 75 crore.

If the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), one of the most prestigious international contests for solving computer programming problems for university-level students, was not organised, more Tk 30 crore could be refunded, the ICT Division mentioned in a statement citing Palak.

Palak said the decision of organising ICPC was taken in 2017.  The ICT Division is also trying to reduce its overall spending, he added.