ICTA

12-Mar-2010

By Shirley WIJESINGHE

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) has launched several projects to implement the Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dekma.

According to ICTA sources, National e-Literacy Project is aiming to bring out 100,000 citizens in the rural community to ICT literate within 18 months.

This is one of the projects tasked to run for Instant Global Village envisaged in the Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dekma ensuring 75 percent island-wide ICT literacy by 2017.

4-Mar-2010

The Information Technology Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) program organised by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) created huge interest among the student population of the North.

This was shown by more than 4000 students who participated in the three-day IT-BPO career guidance program ICTA held at the Jaffna Vembady Girls' High School the last three days of last month.

Out of the 4000 odd students from grade 9 to 12 who participated in the program the girls slightly outnumbered the boys.

25-Feb-2010

Microsoft Sri Lanka recently entered into a Security Cooperation Agreement with Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), this agreement will be part of the very successful Security Cooperation Programme initiated by Microsoft. This initiative will go a long way to address the increasing number of cyber security threats and vulnerabilities in a more holistic manner and provide a global perspective to Sri Lanka’s efforts to minimize its exposure. In 2008, ICTA’s fully owned subsidiary SLCERT (Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Response Team) entered into a similar agreement with Microsoft; in addition this latest partnership will provide much wider scope and avenues for security corporation agreements for Sri Lanka’s public and private sector institutions.

25-Feb-2010

By Shirley Wijesinghe

The Information and Communication Technology Agency(ICTA) had been able to train around 10,000 Government Service officers in 350 public sector institutions in 13 districts by providing skills and competence to manage and administer e-Government projects including Lanka Government Network(LGN) through its ICT HR Capacity Building Program, Program Manager Nalani Senasekera told the Daily News yesterday.

19-Feb-2010

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in collaboration with the Industrial Services Bureau has launched a project for taking the dividends of ICT to the small scale businesses in remote villages.

The project centred around Kurunegala, Dambulla and Tambuttegama introduces two key training modules for managing a successful business - computer-based accounting and computer-based business education.

16-Feb-2010

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) launched the eHuman Resource Management project recently, in their continuing efforts to empower the public sector.

The implementation of the project is centred around the Ministry of Public Administration and the Home Affairs Ministry.

Under this project, several internal activities of the Ministries of Public Administration and Home Affairs are facilitated through information and communication technology (ICT).

11-Feb-2010

Thirty two Nenasala computer course students received certificates at a Nenasala in Kandy recently. When the Natha Dewalaya Viharaya Nenasala Centre held its first certificate awarding ceremony last Saturday.

Among those who received certificates at the ceremony, the Chief Guest of which was Central Province Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa were children, and middle level and advanced level students who had completed the relevant courses at the Nenasala.

4-Feb-2010

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) will participate  at the Deyata Kirula exhibition organised under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and held at Pallekele, Kandy from today till 10th instant.

ICTA's participation will be articulated  mainly by the Nenasala stall forming part of the National Development exhibition which will be inaugurated today coinciding with the 62nd  Commemoration of Independence Day.

20-Jan-2010

The launch of ‘The happy life’ project which provides information and consultancy services pertaining to procreative health using ICT took place recently. The project is being implemented by the Sri Lanka Family Planning Association (FPA) under the guidance of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). Anyone could avail himself / herself of the services under this project through internet (website www.happylife.lk), SMS, e-mail, chat, skype or telephone.

23-Dec-2009

Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), the single apex body focused on developing the country's ICT policy, will solidify its partnership with EDEX 2010, the largest National Higher Education and Careers Expo, taking on the role of strategic partner for the third consecutive time.

ICTA is of the view that EDEX as the leading higher education and career exhibition in the country is the best medium to take their message of developing ICT awareness to a mass audience.

6-Dec-2009

The second Microsoft 'Gamata IT' town storming event was held in Pallama, a remote area in the Puttalam district, on November 14, 2009.

The Gamata IT program is designed to provide the greatest benefit to the residents of the village it touches. The people of the Pallama village including students, youth and professionals from the public and private sector were given IT training, exposure in usage and benefits of IT as well as assistance in expanding their future prospects through the use of Information Technology.

19-Oct-2009

The ICTA Private Sector Forum expressed great hopes for the future National ICT development. This was brought into focus at the ICTA Private Sector Forum meeting held at Colombo last week.

True to its theme ‘ICTA Programs - Progress and Opportunities Ahead’ and its tagline ‘Towards a knowledge economy’ the forum reviewed the past year’s activities and consider the future involvement of the ICTA Private Sector Forum in national ICT development.

6-Oct-2009

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) has taken steps to connect another 150 Government institutes through its Lanka Government Network (LGN) facilitating more speedy public services in the country.

Phase II of the LGN project will connect 150 Government institutions in the island including the Northern and the Eastern provinces and render them connected bringing the total to 475 Government institutes with the 325 connected under phase I of the LGN project implemented under the 'e-Sri Lanka' initiative.

29-Sep-2009

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) trained another batch of Nenasala Operators recently.

Accommodated at the well-equipped MAS Institute of Management and Technology (MIMT) in Tulhiriya, the 78 Nenasala Operators followed a six-day tailor-made training program. The Nenasala operators were trained by sharing and interaction among like minds under one roof.

The unique skills training program aimed at making the Nenasala Operators turn their Nenasalas into highly effective providers of access to "diverse and unrestricted sources of information and means of communication" was conducted by Beeta Horizons (Pvt.) Ltd.

23-Sep-2009

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) has taken steps to create a database on State-owned lands in the Western Province.
Under this endeavor all information on State-owned lands in the Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha districts will be entered on to a database.

From left ICTA Programme Director – Re-engineering Government – Wasanta Deshapriya, Director, School of Computing, University of Colombo Ruwan Weerasinghe, ICTA Project Manager Chintaka Ranasinghe and Secretary to the Ministry of Lands, Western Province Provincial Council Jayanthi Wijetunga at the signing of the Contract.

16-Sep-2009

Sri Lanka was feted at the World Summit Award (WSA) gala in Mexico recently. Over two of Sri Lanka's ICTA-initiated projects won the best e-Content awards under two different categories. Sri Lanka shone with a special mark as it was the only developing country to be decked with two WSA 2009 awards.

Chief Operating Officer ICTA, Reshan Dewapura receives the award

WSA Chairman Peter A. Bruck said, "In contrast to mass TV and newspapers, the new media do not concentrate in one country or one region; we do not see a digital Hollywood or digital Fleet street. Rather, the most interesting e-Contents come from smaller markets and from smaller players. They appear to be much more in touch with users and their communities. Local content, not global, triumphs in terms of quality".

14-Sep-2009

The Sinhala language, far from being a dying language, has many features that even some of the world languages lack. IT, a handmaid of the human mind, should be utilised to let the beauty of the language be optimised for the benefit of man, said Prof. J.B. Disanayaka after the launching 'Bhashita', the Sinhala font family produced by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in Colombo recently.

ICTA chairman Prof. P.W. Epasinghe presents a CD with the ‘Bhashita’ Sinhala font family to Prof. J.B. Disanayaka.

6-Sep-2009

Sri Lankans can now compete for national honours for "creative ICT applications", according to a statement by Sri Lanka's Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA). With entries accepted until September 15, the inaugural "e-Swabhimani", or "e-Social Excellence", awards programme is open to individuals, groups and institutions.

Also, according to ICTA’s e-Society Programme Head, Chitranganie Mubarak, the competition offers eight categories to compete in: e-Government and Institutions, e-Health and Environment, e-Learning and Education , e-Entertainment and Games, e-Culture and National Heritage, e-Science and Technology, e-Business and Commerce, and e-Inclusion and Participation.

27-July-2009

The Sri Lankan government is keen on various stimulus initiatives to drive economic growth. An outline of the same was presented at a government stimulus workshop hosted last week by ICTA in association with Intel.

Currently in Sri Lanka, the growth and development of communication and informatics, particularly in the field of ICT, is one of the most important drivers of national development. Apart from its contributions to production and economics, ICT also plays a strong role as an enabler of social and cultural changes, including increasing the capacity and quality of the development sector.

22-July-2009

e-Asia 2009 will provide an ideal opportunity for demonstrating Sri Lanka’s suitability for foreign investment. This was stated by ICTA’s Chief Operating Officer Reshan Dewapura at a special meeting for announcing Sri Lanka’s choice to host e-Asia 2009 attended by local and foreign media personnel and other officials held at the Ceylon Continental Hotel, Colombo recently.

Elaborating on the significance of Sri Lanka hosting the event Dewapura said that e-Asia 2009 would be an ideal opportunity for Sri Lanka to demonstrate its suitablility for foreign investment. Sri Lanka’s chairmanship of SAARC , its success in eradicating the 30-year terrorist war, the year being declared the year of English and IT, the tremendous commitment from the President for improvement in IT and the enormous success in ICT, all these, were eloquent in conceding that Sri Lanka was ideally suited to play the role of host to e-Asia 2009, he said.

14-July-2009

The enthusiasm shown at the Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Career fair conducted jointly by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), the Education Ministry (MoE) and the IT- BPO Private Sector held at the Asgiriya Police Grounds in Kandy.

It was due to reconciling to anything that is not the best as one's profession.

The interest seemed to have emanated from the conviction that IT-BPO was a career that had all what the target group wanted rolled into one challenge, excitement, prestige, money, affordability, peer support, parent approval and so on.

14-July-2009
By Gayan Kanchana

His Excellency, President Mahinda Rajapaksa accepted a Plaque incorporating the first copy of the Sinhala Language Interface Pack (LIP), from Microsoft and ICTA, paving the way towards making significant progress in Rural ICT adoption in Sri Lanka. Accompanying this was a special audio visual message from Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, who commended the President for his visionary leadership in declaring 2009 the Year of English and IT.

H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne( Country Manager, Microsoft Sri Lanka), Prof. P.W.Epasinghe( Chairman, ICTA), Channa De Silva( EPG Director, Microsoft Sri Lanka), Reshan Dewapura( Director/COO, ICTA), Messers. Lalith Weerathunga, Secretary to the President, Member of the Presidential taskforce for the implementation of the Year of English and Information Technology and Chairman of the National Administrative Reforms Council, Jayantha Fernando(Director, ICTA)

12-July-2009

The launching of the ICTA-initiated e-mobile library in Suriyawewa in Hambantota is another step taken to allow poorest sections of the society to reap benefits of Information Technology.

“Nenasakmana”, implemented by the Sooriyawewa Nenasala under the e-Society programme of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), houses four laptops for which power is provided through a solar panel fixed on the roof of the buddy lorry and internet connectivity through a dongle.

Its library is electronic. It contains CDs for kids, school children and farmers. This is, of course, in addition to information on various other disciplines, new technologies and information on government institutions and procedures.