People crowd the digital innovation fair at gymnasium hall of MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong.Photo: STAR

Do we know how the Chittagong port, the lifeline of our national economy, is functioning digitally and providing services to its stakeholders? Or do we know how the government and non-government institution's digital innovations can help us in our everyday life with many services?
A three-day digital innovation fair organised by Divisional Commissioner's Office Chittagong and access to information project of prime minister's office jointly organised the fair, providing the visitors with unique opportunity to know not only about the digital functioning of the sea port but also other government, private and autonomous organisations' digital innovations, services and activities.
The divisional innovation fair, first of its kind in the country, aimed to introduce their new innovations, communication technologies, digital services to mass people. Forty-seven organisations, including 27 government organisations, participated in the fair with their products and services.
Various stalls of different institutions and organisations exhibited how to use their digital technologies. They showcased the contents of specially made products and services.
Md Afsarul Ameen, minister for primary and mass education, inaugurated the fair as the chief guest at the gymnasium hall of MA Aziz Stadium on November 11.
The minister at the inaugural programme said the main aim of the fair is to make the people aware about e-technologies, e- services and reach government services to the people's doorstep.
He said with a view to building digital Bangladesh by 2021, the government will organise such fairs at division and district levels step by step.
Chittagong Divisional Commissioner Md Sirajul Hoque Khan said the administrations do not know what kinds of technologies are being used by the private organisations. The same is with the private organisations too. This kind of fair will help them learn from each other and will create a healthy competition between them.
Two seminars titled 'The development of digitalisation in Chittagong Division' and 'Strategic priority of digital Bangladesh' were also organised at the fair.
How rural and mass people can benefit gathering information through digital technologies and using other innovations, was screened using multi-media projector at every stall in the fair.
Various cultural events were performed in the three day long fair.
The fair drew young boys and students from the city's schools and colleges. Tanbir Siddique, a student of Chittagong College, said it was a new experience for him. “Really I could know many things about new digital innovations and communication technologies visiting the fair,” Tanbir said.
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP), Bangladesh Bank, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Chittagong, Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) and many other organisations displayed how to use their websites on the screen among the people at the fair.
CPA displayed how the port deals with Container Terminal Management System (CTMS) digitally at its stall.
How the mass people can lodge complaint about criminals or against members of the police force by using their website were screened at the CMP stall.