Bangladesh Showcases Indigenous Digital Systems “Surokkha” and iBAS++ at INOTEX 2025, Presenting a Vision of an Efficient, Forward-Looking Digital Government

At INOTEX 2025, Bangladesh highlighted its advancements in digital governance through homegrown systems, offering a clear picture of a future-ready government.

According to the INOTEX 2025 News Desk, Saif Md. Zulker Nien Chowdhury, a programmer at the ICT Department of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology (MoPT&IT), represented Bangladesh at the exhibition.

In an interview, Chowdhury said: “We are members of the D8 Economic Cooperation Organization, and the Iranian government invited us to participate in this event. We took this opportunity to showcase our achievements in the ICT sector.”

From E-Government to the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Chowdhury highlighted Bangladesh’s focus on delivering digital services to citizens: “Currently, we provide around 8,000 government services digitally. Our goal is to achieve good governance through e-Governance development.”

He added that Bangladesh has prepared extensively for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, implementing initiatives in cybersecurity, data analytics, IoT, and other emerging technologies, some of which were showcased at INOTEX and received international recognition.

“Surokkha”: An Indigenous Platform for COVID-19 Vaccination

One notable local technology is Surokkha (meaning “Safety” in Bengali), developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chowdhury explained: “Surokkha was fully designed and implemented by Bangladeshi programmers and has facilitated vaccination for over 140 million people. It manages all stages from vaccine import, distribution, appointment scheduling, registration, SMS notifications, to certificate issuance. Beyond COVID-19, it can manage other vaccination programs as well.”

Extensive Digital Management Systems Across Governance Levels

Chowdhury also described other ICT platforms in Bangladesh, including:

Central Aid Management System (CAMS) for managing government aid

Smart Office Management System for intelligent administration

Inspection systems, information dissemination platforms, and educational and development management systems

All these platforms are integrated into a single platform accessible to government offices.

National Portal Framework: Organizing Government Websites

Bangladesh has implemented a National Portal Framework. Chowdhury explained: “Over 55,000 government portals are active, spanning the presidency, ministries, and rural offices. Each government entity has its own website for providing citizen services.”

iBAS++: Integrated Government Financial Management

He also introduced iBAS++ (Integrated Budget and Accounting System Plus Plus), a fully indigenous system for managing government budgets and accounting nationwide.

ICT Beyond Government: Agriculture, Healthcare, and Education

Chowdhury emphasized that ICT applications are not limited to public services. “Bangladesh leverages ICT across agriculture, healthcare, education, and more. Over 1,000 knowledge-based and entrepreneurial ICT companies are active in the country. We believe ICT should be applied across all sectors of society.”

INOTEX 2025: A Valuable Platform for International Tech Collaboration

Concluding, Chowdhury remarked: “During the exhibition, we held meetings with Iranian industry experts, exchanged knowledge in our respective fields, and established connections that could lead to future collaborations. INOTEX 2025 was extremely beneficial, offering a platform to showcase our achievements and build international partnerships.”