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Digital Inclusion

Sri Lanka builds telecentres for farm people

By Pia Rufino | 5 August 2011

The Sri Lankan government will be establishing 35 new e-Kiosk Centres with internet and satellite communication facilities this year to boost IT proficiency of the estate people in the country.

Earlier this year, the Cabinet of Minister has approved a proposal made by the Minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development Arumugam Thondaman on the establishment of new telecentres for estate people.

The move is part of a bigger digital inclusion programme by the Saumyamoorth Thondaman Memorial Foundation under an Act of Parliament aimed at establishing 450 Prajashakthi (Community strengthening) centres.

This programme is funded by the government in accordance with the objective of keeping pace with moving towards a knowledge based society as stipulated in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s policy statement of Mahinda Chintana.

The Cabinet of Ministers have also approved LKR200 Million (US$1.8 million) to provide 270 computers and other equipment the 45 centres already established.

Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga said in FutureGov Sri Forum in Sri Lanka last year the government has set its sights on raising the ICT literacy of its citizenry to 75 per cent by 2016.

A similar project is being rolled out in the country called Rural Telecentre Network, known as Nenasala, and a network of PC labs in schools, aimed at narrowing the digital divide in rural areas.

To date, 615 nenasala are already established in the country.

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