ICTA launches 400th Tele-centre at Colombo District Secretariat

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) today established its 400th Nenasala (Tele-centre)  at the Colombo District Secretariat. The Chief Guest at the event is Hon. Minister Karu Jayasuriya.

The setting up of this Nenasala is aimed at providing visitors with services such as Internet access, computer access, telephone calls, scanning and photo copying. It will be managed by the Colombo DS.

ICTA’s 400-strong telecentre network has progressed well, with Nenasalas in rural areas of the country, located in 23 districts. They provide opportunities to the communities in the area to gain knowledge and access to new opportunities for their businesses as well as economic development.

The Nenasala project was initiated in January 2005 with the very first Nenasala at the Kirivehara Temple in Katharagama opened by H. E., President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was the Prime Minister at the time. The project spanned its way into diversified models and has contributed towards the development of information infrastructure in the country, contributing towards filling up the gap of digital divide. Each of these centres are provided with multiple ICT related services for the community; from internet access to IT education to children and adults who are less fortunate and could not afford such facilities and learning until the setting up of Nenasalas. These centres play a key role in the village to improve the IT literacy of the country by providing IT training for rural communities at a very minute cost.

Nenasalas are managed and operated by the community in each respective village. The operators of the Nenasalas hail from religious institutions, societies and even individuals representing the community they live in. Apart from these, ICTA has also identified a few special sites for the establishment of Nenasalas to address the need for ICT services to the public. Such sites are located at the Foreign Employment Bureau, Fort Railway Station, public libraries, hospitals, etc their motto: Vishwa denuma gamata in Sinhala and Ulaga arivu grammathirku in Tamil – “global knowledge to the village.”

Category: ICT for Development, Press Release