RANGPUR, Aug 05, 2021 (BSS) – Saddyapuskorini union digital centre (UDC) has set up a glaring example in reaching services to people ensuring urban services available in rural areas by gradually turning villages of the union into towns.
 
By virtue of digitisation, around 100 people of the union and its surrounding areas are easily availing more than 120 online or offline services daily in a hassle free manner from the UDC without going to the district or upazila headquarters.
 
Talking to BSS at Saddyapuskorini UDC, Mizanur Rahman of village Katabari, housewife Ratna Begum of village Saddyapuskorini and Abdus Sobhan of village Palichara said they came there to get copies of their lost national identity cards.

They had no documents related to their lost national identity cards.

They talked to the entrepreneur of Saddyapuskorini UDC Arifuzzaman Moon and sought his cooperation in getting copies of their lost national identity cards.

“I have a complete voter list of Saddyapuskorini union. I searched their national identity cards, found and downloaded copies from online services and delivered those to them within a few minutes,” Moon said.

Similarly, Mizanur Rahman, Abdus Sobhan and Rahima Begum of different villages in the union were delighted after easily getting certified copies of their lost national identity cards from online services there.

Ajoy Roy of village Deodoba, Shaju Mian of village Palichara Sarderpara, Monwara Begum of village Uttarpara and Feroz Mian of village Palichara said they applied at Saddyapuskorini UDC to get land ‘Porcha.’
 
All of them received auto generated receipt copies of land ‘Porcha’ from the UDC in only seven working days paying only Taka 110 each.

“I am very happy to get the land ‘Porcha’ easily from the UDC without moving to the district level offices like before,” said Shaju Mian with a smiling face.

Like many other service recipients at Saddyapuskorini UDC, Abdur Razzaque, Abdul Awal, Jarina Begum, Rabiul Islam and Moksed Mian of different places expressed satisfaction over easily availing the Hajj registration services at the UDC.

Elderly citizens Abdur Rahman of village Mistripara and Sabitri Rani Roy of village Adarshapara came to Saddyapuskorini UDC recently and easily received Taka 3,000 each as old age allowances.
 
“The UDC has become a blessing for people of the union. It easily reaches government services at our doorsteps. I came to the UDC on foot and also returned home by walking without any transport cost after getting the allowance,” Sabitri said.
 
Beneficiaries of the Employment Generation Project for the Poorest Ashraf Ali of village Bhelu, Selima Khatun of village Bhelubaor and Bishu Chandra of village Zamidarpara came to the UDC to draw wages for earth work they conducted under the project.
 
“We easily drew Taka 5,400 each through agent banking from the UDC,” said a happy Selima after getting wages without going to the upazila headquarters.
 
Housewives Nazmun Akhter of village Balapara and Roxanna Begum of village Hajipara came to Saddyapuskorini UDC and easily got Taka 4,800 each as maternity allowances from entrepreneur Arifuzzaman Moon in a few minutes.
 
Youths Joydal Mian of village Palichara and Jharna Nazmin of village Fazilkhan in the union came to the UDC and submitted their applications for jobs after downloading and filling up the same with the help of entrepreneur Moon.

 
Biplob Mian of village Keshobpur Mistripara paid his electricity bill after coming to Saddyapuskorini UDC.
 
“Like many others, I regularly pay my electricity bill every month easily at the UDC,” Biplob told BSS, adding that most of the villagers are paying various utility bills through the UDC without going to banks.
 
President of Saddyapuskorini union Awami League and local businessman Moksedur
Rahman Dulu said, “I regularly send all applications and documents related to business purposes from the local UDC easily.”
 
Since the closure of educational institutions due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, student of Chattogram Marine Academy Shakhawat Hossen Shahid stays at home in village Palichara Balapara of Saddyapuskorini union.

“I regularly submit my assignments to my institution through email at Saddyapuskorini UDC taking the advantage of the digitised facilities,” he told BSS.
 
Students Rony Rahman and Shimla Begum of village Hindu Para submitted applications for admission in class eleven while Zannati Khatun, Amena Pervin and Swapna submitted their applications for admission at the National University.
 
Retired Assistant Teacher of Podaganj High School Abdur Razzaque said he submitted an application from Saddyapuskorini UDC and easily became a member of the Non-government Teachers’ and Employees’ Welfare Trust recently.
 
Farmers Majibar Rahman of village Hajipara and Tariqul Islam of village Keshobpur Paschim Para expressed happiness after easily getting information on crop farming, pests’ management, agri- technologies, seeds, fertilisers, seed sowing and crop harvesting periods from the UDC without going to Rangpur city.
 
Talking to BSS, entrepreneur of Saddyapuskorini UDC Arifuzzaman Moon said he currently earns Taka 70,000 net profit every month on an average excluding all expenses by reaching digitised online and offline services to rural people.
 
Born in a poor family of remote village Keshobpur in the union, Moon, the elder among two sons of his parents, had to continue studies amid extreme poverty since his childhood.
 
He passed the HSC examinations in 2006 while working for his livelihoods for his family comprising four members at the age of only 16.
 
But, he never lost self-confidence and decided to start learning computer knowledge when the number of computer learning centres was very limited at the union, upazila and district levels in Rangpur.
 
To acquire knowledge on computers, Moon voluntarily joined a digital photo studio in
Palichara Bazar near his native village in Saddyapuskorini union.
 
Considering his better performance, innovative talent and devotion to work, the studio owner soon appointed Moon and started paying a monthly salary. He continued studies alongside assisting his family.
 
“Suddenly, I came to know that one male and another female entrepreneur would be
appointed in every UDC when I applied for the post in 2010,” Moon said.
 
He completed training courses on computer, ICT, internet and other digitised activities organised by the National Local Government Institute under the aspire to innovate (a2i) programme.
 
“Since joining as an entrepreneur at Saddyapuskorini UDC on November 11 in 2010, I started dreaming to contribute to building a digital Bangladesh through realising Vision 2021 as envisioned by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” Moon said.
 
In the beginning, Moon along with his co-entrepreneur Taznur Begum began providing both
online and offline services to common people with only one computer, one black and white printer and a modem.
 
By this time, Moon completed an honours course in Chemistry from Rangpur Carmichael College in 2012.
 
His entrepreneurship continued to expand gradually and demand of online and offline digitised services continued increasing even during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
Moon is widely known as the most successful info leader of the area as well as of the district as a whole.As per the a2i ranking, Moon is currently among the 10 best UDC entrepreneurs across the country.
 
“Now, I have four laptops and 12 desktop computers, five laser printers and two colour printers, two digital cameras, video camera, broadband connection, projector, generator, IPS, solar panels, scanner, pause machine, sound system and other equipment,” Moon said.
 
To meet the growing demand of online and offline services, he has launched two more digital sub-service centres at Palichara Bazar and Noyapukur area and employed six youths trained  by him on computer and digitised technologies at his UDC.
 
Currently, Moon provides more than 120 types of services to people and pays monthly salaries of Taka 8,000 to Taka 9,000 per month to each of his five employees working with him at his three service centres.
 
“They are Dilruba, Abdul Kafi, Murad Mian, Nihat Nayan and Most Sweety Akhter
hailing from different villages of Saddyapuskorini union,” Moon said.
 
“The average monthly agent banking transaction like bKash, rocket, sure cash, nagod, my cash, NRBC, pay well and electricity bill at my UDC and its two sub-centres stands around Taka 1.50 crore alone in addition to many other services,” Moon said.
 
Since the beginning, Moon has trained 1,050 educated male and female youths on computer and most of them are now employed or engaged with income generation activities.
 
After getting various training with assistance of the a2i programme, Moon is conducting training on basic computers for government officials and employees, outsourcing and other digital activities as a master trainer to earn additional incomes.
 
Talking to BSS, Rangpur Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Israt Sadia Shumi said
Saddyapuskorini UDC is contributing effectively to transforming every village into a town through providing digitised online and offline services to rural people.
 
“Entrepreneur of the UDC Arifuzzaman Moon has become an icon among entrepreneurs of all 76 UDCs in the district in the process of building a digital Bangladesh,” Shumi said, adding that Moon has changed his social status and fortune too.