People are yet to get rid of harassment fully while receiving land-related services, despite the government’s ongoing land digitisation and reform initiatives, said Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury.
He said initiatives are being taken to provide land services to citizens by appointing district-based agents, in order to strengthen the country’s land digitisation efforts and curb the existing digital divide.
To this end, private agency policies are also being formulated, added Mr Chowdhury.
The minister came up with the remarks at a dialogue organised by the Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, titled "Contemporary Initiatives in Land Management and Citizens’ Rights" at the BRAC Centre Inn in the capital on Thursday.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, convener of the Platform and distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), chaired the dialogue.
Md Mustafizur Rahman, secretary to the Ministry of Land, spoke as the lead speaker.
Shaheen Anam, core group member of the Citizen's Platform and executive director of the Manusher Jonno Foundation, delivered introductory remarks.
Rafiq Ahmed Serajee, manager (Programme), Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Mohammad Samsozzaman, deputy secretary and National Portal Implementation specialist, Aspire to Innovate (a21) Programme, and Supreme Court lawyer Mahfuz Bin Yousuf also spoke at the dialogue.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman, core group member, Citizen's Platform and also Executive Director, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), spoke at the event.
Speaking as the chief guest at the event, Land Minister Saifuzzaman said there is a direction from the prime minister that the agricultural land should not be used for public infrastructural development, and his ministry is working to implement this goal.
The land ministry has already been able to build its own manpower and capacity for the current digitisation process, as it can run it independently without the direct technical support of the Aspire to Innovate (a21) Programme, added the minister.
