Joy opens post office’s ‘Daak Taka’

Prime Minister’s ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy on Monday opened "Daak Taka", a digital wallet of Bangladesh Post Office (BPO), with a view to tap the unbanked people of grass roots level with banking channel, reports BSS.

The digitized financial platform of BPO was unveiled by the adviser this morning through opening an account of marginal domestic worker Margina Begum from Tangail district at a ceremony at the conference room of posts and telecommunications division.

The BPO has set a goal to connect over 3 crore unbanked people with the banking system in next one year by the digitized 'Daak Taka' which only requires Taka 2 to open an account. 

Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, Sajeeb Wazed Joy said mobile financial service is an important and final stage which will tie the 'digital Bangladesh'. 

"We are digitizing the government services as we want to simplify the life of people so that they can get every service on mobile, online and internet but it would not possible until the financial service is made digitize," he added. 

Referring to the BPO's over 8,000 post offices across the country, Joy said every village and union has not the branch of bank but "how could the digitized cash be reached to the people? So, we have a plant to utilize the post office for it where people could make transaction digitally".

Expressing his excitement over the software of the BPO's digital financial platform, the ICT adviser said: "It is our first step and I hope it will be successful, and more service will take place when more people will use it."

Joy said he felt joyous by seeing the opening of an account with Taka 2 and hoped people of village will be benefited by the service. 

BPO's technical partner and payment switch provider (ITCL) and software service provider D-Money have brought the service. Using the digital wallet "Daak Taka", anyone can made transaction for purchase through card, app and other channels. Keeping in mind of more financial services, near field communication (NFC) and QR (quick response) code is also made available for it. Daak Taka user can do transaction with other financial entities. 

Reveling the plan of turning the BPO into fully digitized by 2021, state minister for posts and telecommunications Tarana Halim said they have set a goal of bringing 3 crore people in banking system within 2018 through the Daak Taka.

D-Money Vice Chairman Sonia Bashir Kabir said user can easily do cash-in and cash-out with postal cash card by opening Daak Taka account. Citizen could open Daak Taka account free of cost by depositing only Taka 2, she added. 

Sonia Bashir said they will start the commercial operation of Daak Taka within 90 days. 

Posts and Telecommunications Division Secretary Shyam Sundar Sikder and D-Money Chairman Anjan Chowdhury also spoke on the occasion.