Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka

ICTA-initiated ‘e-diriya’ IT Centre set up in Kegalle

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 10:20

The fourth of the ICTA-initiated ‘e-diriya’ IT Centres that are being set up in each Povince was declared open in the Sabaragamuwa Province recently.

Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister and Sabaragamuwa Povince Chief Minister Mahipala Herath jointly declared open the province-level centre at the Zonal Education office in Kegalle last Friday (17.5.2013).

Speaking on the occasion Telecommunication and IT Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya emphasised that while general development of the country is taking place, improvement was also taking place in information and technology. “ICT has the special characteristic of leveraging development by leapfrogging from unnecessary and tedious traditional stages without losing any good values in the process. The IT Centre set up today will greatly empower the public service personnel in the province. When those who provide public service are better empowered , the people will be better served. The centre will also go a long way in improving the employability level of specially school leavers and those who could not proceed to studies in the university. The centre will be a great boon to the unemployed graduates in gaining employment. The number of graduates to whom the Government has provided employment is around 52,000. This is a record”, the Minister underlined.

eServices give tea smallholders just their cup of tea

Friday, 10 May 2013 10:04

With eServices kicked off at the Tea Small Holdings Development Authority (TSHDA) recently, tea smallholders have begun to find doing their cultivation and business duties just their cup of tea.

The eServices project that empowers the tea smallholders thus is the fruition of the joint effort of TSHDA and the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and TSHDA. The project thus making life easier for the tea smallholder was officially launched by Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe at the TSHDA auditorium on May 2nd. Addressing on this occasion the audience including Government officials and representatives of the country’s tea smallholder societies totaling about 1200, the Minister underlined the importance of the tea smallholders. Unlike what many think 75 per cent of the country’s total tea industry revenue comes from tea small holdings. Speaking further on the occasion the Minister requested TSHDA to ensure that proper training in the use of relevant eServices is given to tea smallholders who total about 400,000 island-wide. Speedy action in this regard is important, the Minister urged.

Sri Lanka’s NRI ranking 69th out of 144 proves its great ICT strides: ICTA CEO

Wednesday, 24 April 2013 11:21

The Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2013 reflects the great and multiple strides reached in the country’s ICT sector, says ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) CEO, Reshan Dewapura.

“The Global Information Technology Report (GITR) published for the 12th consecutive year corroborates that Sri Lanka continues to make huge progress in the ICT sector. The report published by the World Economic Forum and the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires" (INSEAD) is a source of strength for the country to advance further”, Dewapura added.

Sri Lanka has improved its ICT standing including the overall position by two places in the Global Networked Readiness Index (NRI) published in the ‘Global Information Technology Report (GITR)’ 2013. Last year this overall position stood at 71. This year it stands at 69.

The NRI assesses the comparative impact of ICT in the countries concerned (144 economies in 2013) under four sub-indices and 10 pillars coming under these sub-indexes and several indicators under the pillars. The sub-indexes are environment, readiness, usage, and impact. The pillars are: political and regulatory environment, business and innovation environment, infrastructure and digital content, affordability, skills, individual usage, business usage, Government usage, economic impacts and social impacts.