Vol. 7 No. 7 July 2024
Assessing the Sustainability of Union Digital Centers (UDCs) in Northern Region of Bangladesh: A Study on Nilphamari District
Authors/ Publisher: 1. Md. Rahmatullah 2. Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam 3. Umme Kulsum
Abstract:
This study aims to reveal the scenario of the sustainable status of Union Digital Center (UDC) in the Nilphamari district of Rangpur division. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used in the study following the Five Capital Model as conceptual framework. The total sample size is 360 comprising service providers, service receivers and managerial staff of the UDCs covering through survey method, observation method and in-depth interviews. The results show that UDC has already become a significant phenomenon for rural people for positive social impact. It significantly impacts the socio-economic environment in the study area by serving as a medium for ICT-based service exchange. However, other prospects like economic, natural, manufactured and human are not gained as per the expectation level. That’s why; the sustainability of the centers is still far away. Proper human resource management, ICT accessibility, monetary allocation and MEAL could be integrated for establishing and strengthening the sustainability of the centers.
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