Role of ICT to Meet the Local Demands of Information Services: A Case Study of Ghorjan and Rajapur Union, Sirajganj

The study aims to analyze the local needs/demands of information services in two Char-based Unions (i.e. Ghorjan and Rajapur) of Sirajganj district to address shortcomings of information requires for sustaining people’s life and livelihood and contributing to the development of a Disaster Information Management System in Char-land areas of Bangladesh. It is a fact that a large section of Char communities are staying out of access to information at present due to their geographical isolation, lack of appropriate communication mechanisms, and initiatives placing them in a difficult situation to survive. From this point of view, the focal theme of this study was the assessment of local needs/demands of information to develop a “sustainable information communication and services mechanisms” by which the Char-land people get available access to such information. Based on this theme, the study adopted a participatory research approach to allow a cross-section of some selected stakeholders groups (farmer, fisherman, and migrant workers) along with Union Digital Center (UDC) and Char Digital Center (CDC) entrepreneurs, Union Parishad representatives, local NGOs, technical institutions, community volunteers, Government officials and communitybased civil society organizations in selected Char-land areas to share their information needs and possible ways for channelizing it in long term perspectives and prioritize it in line with the people’s necessity and emergency, and finally tried to shape a framework for sustainable use of such information and communication services by using existing UDC, CDC, and community volunteers.


INTRODUCTION:
The ubiquitous nature of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is not a myth at present but a reality -familiar to most of the people across the globe (Muzareba and Rahman, 2016) which includes different online and offline communication services like computer, telephone, television, internet, printer, photocopiers and so on that play a major role for the economic, societal and political development of a country ( Kashem et al., 2013;Rahman, 2016). Developed countries made a great progress in adopting the blessings of ICT but developing countries are still far behind in that case. Everyone should have access to information for their own social, economic, political and cultural development as appropriate information empowers people towards actions that can transform lives, and allows for a greater sense of independence (Mchombu, 2000;and Goulding, 2002). However, there is a great concern that digital divide still exists between rural and urban areas of developing countries (Hoque and Sorwar, 2015). According to de Munster (2004), "Digital divide is usually measured in terms of people's access to ICTs and those without such access or skills". Role of ICT for the development of rural areas is an emerging issue now-a-days in most of the developing countries (Hoq, 2015;Pade et al., 2010;Alemna and Sam, 2006;Hoque and Sorwar, 2015). Governments of developing countries have taken several initiatives to remove the barrier in case of using ICT in their daily life (Shore, 1980). Bangladesh is a low income developing country; having 165 million populations is experiencing the lack of provision of ICT (Ashraf et al., 2016) though internet was first introduced in our country in 1993. Rapid changes were observed in IT sector after the withdrawal of taxes on VSAT satellite ground station (Rahman, 2008;Islam and Hoq, 2011). In 2008, an ICT policy was articulated in order to build an ICT driven nation (Ashraf et al., 2016) as ICT is considered one of the significant tools for economic development of a country (Kashem et al., 2010). After the formulation of ICT policy, the ICT sector of Bangladesh has started expanding keeping a great pace in both rural and urban areas (Chowdhury and Alam, 2009). In recent years, government of Bangladesh and private sectors have undertaken various ICT interventions in order to bridge the information gap between the rural and urban community. One of the notable examples is establishing ICT centres in every union of rural areas so that rural people can easily access the necessary information without any hassle (Islam and Hoq, 2011)because ICT Plays a great role to eradicate poverty, getting education materials and information's, Early Warning System (EWS) , health sector, boost agricultural and livestock productivity, improve livelihood and shrink vulnerability of poor people who are exposed to the negative impacts of natural anomalies (Kizilaslan, 2006;Prodhan andAfrad, 2014 andHoq, 2011). ICT centres are places where poor people of a particular community get benefitted by accessing necessary technologies as it is impossible for them to access these facilities individually (Hasan et al., 2009).
This study was about a multi-users communication service to create and exchange real time intelligences regarding how fragile communities can avoid or minimize the impact of disaster. The study has been under taken to address the shortcomings of information pertaining to flood early warning and contributed to the development of a Disaster Infor-mation Management System in two Char-based and disaster prone unions named Rajapur and Ghorjan of Sirajganj District. It is a fact that Char-based isolated communities have no timely access to disaster information due to the absence of community-friendly information, communication and transformation mechanisms. Considering that the Government of Bangladesh introduced Union Digital Centre (UDC), which is intended to become information hub but they were not used as a source of disaster related information. Besides, the UDC in proposed Charland areas didn't include a large section of Charbased communities in the respective Union and excluded a large section of Char house-holds (HHs) to get information. Considering that Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) introduced 2 (two) additional Char Information Service Centres named Char Digital Centre (CDC)to make all types of necessary information available for all the people living in Char-land areas and the EWS that was introduced for providing easy understandable and timely flood early warming information to the unreachable people in two disasters prone Unions (i.e. Ghorjan of Chauhali Upazila and Rajapur of Bekuchi Upazila) of Sirajganj district in Bangladesh.
The overall objective of this study was to analyse demands of information services that can be delivered through the Union Digital Centres and Char Digital Centres and its long terms perspectives for the sustainable use in the Char -land areas. The specific goals were set i) to identify local needs /demands of information services and prioritize it in line with local problems and inaccessibility of such information; ii) to measure existing areas of income (i.e. stable and temporary income sources) and expenditure and define possibilities of future income for self-sustainability of the UDCs/CDCs in Char land areas, and iv) to recommend further actions to strengthen the information dissemination system.

METHODOLOGY:
A wide range of qualitative methods were used to collect field based data which includes Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Participatory Research Appraisal (PRA), Key Informant Interview (KII), Indepth Interview and Case Studies in order to ensure interactive environment to allow a cross section of participants under the specific category of stakeholders for sharing their honest opinion. The relevant secondary information was generated from various sources, such as analytical reports, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and Union database etc. to supplement the primary information. In both cases, the study applied a strict data triangulation process to verify the information and to assure its reliability. A total of ten FGD sessions (five in Ghorjan union and five in Rajarpur union) were held to understand the community perception regarding the necessity of information services and associated problems where both men and women group of the community, community leaders includes representatives of community based organizations and local government representatives participated. Those group meetings discussed about demands of information, priorities of local needs and demands and existing areas of income (i.e. stable and temporary income sources) and expenditure, and define possibilities of future income for self-sustainability of the UDCs and CDCs. In addition to, A total of 42 relative government agency, local governments and local elites were interviewed which includes local business entrepreneurs/traders and private sector representative to discuss regarding possible areas of income, service and expenditure and future income service options, business planning based on people's needs.

DISCUSSION:
The categories of participants were diverse in the study areas that showcased their variety of needs/ demands with varying professions. Some of the needs/demands being extremely pointed out followed by all categories of participants while on the contrary some needs/demands were figured out only by specific stakeholders.

Needs/Demands of Information of Farmer Group
The information needs/demands of farmers' group were defined through interactive process in the study areas.
Farmers' groups in both study areas have some similarities and dissimilarities in information needs because Ghorjan union is still aback from Rajapur union because flood severely affects Ghorjan Union each year and cause unbearable sufferings to the local people When we asked the target people to define what kinds of information and services are required for continuing live and livelihood in better ways, they defined a numbers of information needs which are mentioned below:

Ghorjan Union
Rajapur Union 1. Flood forecasting news 2. Market information 3. Education related information 4. Health information (specially women and child ) 5. Information of good quality seeds, fertilizer, insecticide our local business information 6. Relief information

Needs/Demands of Information of Fisheman Group
A Fisherman demand advisory services as they are motivated to develop their fish production. Their motivation is closely linked with the existence of market opportunities and prospects for improved and safety working conditions. When a fisherman has the potential information to develop his production, he requires adequate information to negotiate with potential service providers.
It is argued between two unions that in a free and open market, the information and demand for services should arise spontaneously. Market information will bring service providers and fisher-man together. Indeed this happens when fishermen are well informed and when the delivery of services is clearly economically attractive for both providers and their clients. The demands of information services vary from Ghorjan Union to Rajapur which are mentioned below: Unfortunately, many small scale fishermen are unable to take advantage of market opportunities partly because they are constrained by lack of information, and also because they do not have the knowledge and the resources to formulate and articulate their demands for information.

Needs/Demands of Information of Woman Group
Women strongly emphasized on free health care programme participation; and group learning on both economic activities and wider social and wellbeing issues (including awareness of basic rights and laws and enhancing knowledge of health, hygiene and disaster preparedness). Participating women are strongly interested to know how to reduce environmental and economic risk (for instance, raising households on plinths above the highest known flood levels, establishing social safety nets to assist vulnerable households, providing access to clean water and sanitary latrines to reduce disease, and creating employment during disaster); assistance to households to establish small businesses and creating income that work for the family; access to a village savings and loans groups.

Sustainability of Digital Centers and Skilled Volunteers (Considering Business Plan)
According to Liam et al. (2013) "Sustainability implies responsible and proactive decision-making and innovation that minimizes negative impact and maintains balance between ecological resilience, economic prosperity, political justice and cultural vibrancy to ensure a desirable planet for all now and in the future". Sustainable digital centers and skilled volunteers are the key components for the local communities for information reception but their sustainability follows through diversity of income sources of the entrepreneurs of UDC & CDC, less expenditure of them and a handsome future earning expectation which is rather a means of social and cultural stability of the overall community people.

Areas of Income (Digital Centers and Skilled Volunteers)
UDC, CDC and Volunteering are prominent elements of sophisticated corporate approaches to community investment but the process of attaining an employment is not easy at all rather it is full of obstacles and very confusing. Applicant or interested individuals go through the agony of cumbersome government policies and arduous bureaucracies. Digital sustainability has been implemented through appropriate use of ICT in Bangladesh as it is targeting audience both at individual level and institutional level. At the individual level the audience is both educated urban/rural people who are searching for employment and migrant workers who are already working. At the institutional level, it is the organ-izations working with workers and associated with the migration process.
• Create income generation opportunity for people through promoting professional skills in development of multimedia materials. • Improving the competency of people for better performance in the local employment market. • Information and instruction based audio-visual life-skill digital content that provides information to unemployed, semi-skilled and low income young women both in rural and urban areas. It takes them through the process of preparation, helping them at each step, providing sufficient information for them to make informed choices.  In Rajapur and Ghorjan Union UDC/CDC provide services with small scale areas because of their unavailability of facility, less demands, uneducated and some constraints. Everyday UDC provides service with their capabilities and almost twenty people have taken service. But CDC provides more service than UDC based on the information in the Ghorjan area with a free of cost.

Areas of Expenditures (Digital Centers and Skilled Volunteers)
Our research indicates (expenditure of UDC/CDC employee, volunteer programme's and their community investment aspirations) that until recently, dissemination of information through UDC/CDC, the shift to skill-based volunteering is based less on deliberate strategy, and more on responding to requests from volunteer hosts for more strategic, skill-based volunteer time. Primary approaches to skill-related volunteering programs have emerged. They are: • Provision of a little amount of cost or charge services; and • Skill-transfer and capacity building The range of expenditures of UDC, CDC and Volunteers depend on peoples need to access information as well as their usual and emergency needs to hardware and software. Rajapur Union and Ghorjan Union both have UDC Entrepreneurs, CDC Entrepreneurs & Volunteers, who are working as people's organization to deliver various informations thus the expenditures, arise.

Recommendations for Improving the Information Dissemination System
The following recommendations have been made in light of the activities being observed during detail field survey in two unions. These are recommendations made to strengthen and improve the information dissemination system already being undertaken in the respective unions. The specific activity through which the recommendations could be incorporated is included in parenthesis.

Reommendation-1: Ensure that available data/ information on flood in the target areas effectively disseminated
• Ensure that information dissemination on flood early warning is addressed from top level people to root level people as early as possible through easiest ways. • Ensure that data/information during flood about what to do for saving maximum lives and properties with instant measures. • Consequences after flood to cope up with deprivation needs to be informed in a sustainable way.

Recommendation-2: Ensure that available data/ information on fundamental needs of people in the study areas effectively disseminated
• Minor health problems and its first aid measures for the people of study areas should necessarily are circulated by the easiest possible way. • Ensure development of information on communication and transportation to connect remote areas time to time with mainland, schools, bazaar, hat, other institutions etc.
• Publicize basic information of educational system (primary education, secondary education, school fees, admission process etc.) is significant for uneducated people of rural areas to encourage their children's schooling. • Emphasizing on dissemination of women's personal health issues and its careful measures to take through increasing the number of female health-expert or female doctors for the rural women. • Increase the informative knowledge of the farmers about static agricultural parameters (seasonal cropping, soil quality, pests and pesticides, cropping during flood, fruiting tress etc.) to reduce their vulnerability. • Raise the informative knowledge of people about food nutrition of easily and cheaply procurable foods (rice, wheat, vegetables, fish etc.) for their normal wellness.

Recommendation-3: Strengthen Union Digital
Centre's information dissemination system by increasing more capacity building • UDC as an information hub is a best way to disseminate information but information availability and redundancy need to reassert. • Immediate fixing the instruments which are out of work as well as increase the potential expertise of the UDC entrepreneurs. • Ensure to cover more people under information system by setting up UDC in places mostly available to large number of people.

Recommendation-4: Increase the potential income sources of the UDC entrepreneurs to encourage their efficiency
• Enrichment of instrumental facility besides the existing equipments to accelerate income sources for sustainable management of UDC. • Government initiatives to determine the entrepreneur's monthly fixed salary to ensure reliability to their respective jobs.

Recommendation-5: Strengthen Char Digital
Centre's information dissemination system by increasing capacity building • Ensure instrumental availability and accessibility to CDC entrepreneurs required to disseminate information to all char-land people. • Increase the number of CDC in major charland areas to address maximum number of people in any point of time. • Establishment of collaborative approach between UDC and CDC to share the lacking of each other for majority's betterment.

Recommendation-6: Increase the potential income sources of the CDC entrepreneurs to encourage their efficiency
• Ensure uninterrupted connection of internet for CDC entrepreneurs to collect any information anytime from websites for dissemination. From some services (providing services to local people like-emailing, job search, birth registration etc.) they can generate income very easily. • Ensure monetary support or grants to disseminate information to all stakeholders; even in emergency need disseminate information to respective communities as early as possible.

Recommendation-7: Increase work-space and efficiency of Volunteer/CBO/CSAG to target areas for door to door dissemination of information
• Increasing volunteer number based on villages or wards to disseminate information from people to people for saving lives and properties as much as possible.

CONCLUSION:
With special focus on the local needs and demands of the information on various aspects of the char land area information emphasis on the dissemination, the follow up the feasibility study assessed a wide range of information surrounding the operational and conceptual aspects of the local community. Most of the community people perceived extreme poverty as the root cause of unemployment, lack of awareness and illiteracy. Indeed this happens when communities are well informed and when the delivery of services is clearly economically attractive for both providers and their clients. The demands of community mostly based on information standards and other quality standards. The survey finding was carried out in the status of access to information within the char land areas. The feasibility study of the focus areas has been carried on through informative perspective of capacity building and including skill development within the community at the grass root people and various government agencies and the feasibilities reports also documented an improvements and perception in identifying consequences of information on flood early warning and contribute to the development of a Disaster Information Management System in Char-land areas of Bangladesh. Char-based isolated communities have no timely access to disaster information and it continues due to absence of community-friendly information communication and transformation mechanisms. The confidences level of the local community in being able to articulate cultural, economic, social and political rights of human being has also significantly improved, which has reflection on community involvements in the different awareness information campaigns, particularly country yard meetings, school programme, information rights focused ICT, dramas and the dissemination of campaign materials , brochures, etc. There has also been definite improvement in the consequences among community people as to where they can access to the holistic information and seeking information from the UDC/CDC official and volunteers. The UDC/ CDC has not only reduced the gap of information among the community people but also increased the awareness building. Thus, it is concluded that a holistic approach rights to information and obstacle prevention must teach both information rights holders and institutional barriers simultaneously, so that the benefit of the community are experienced in the dynamic relationships and previously silenced sections of the society are emancipated to claim what they want.