Sri Lanka President stresses importance of progress in IT for country's development

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today said that the progress in the field of information technology is essential to achieve the country's development goals on the road to turn Sri Lanka into the Wonder of Asia.


Addressing the inaugural session of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization's (CTO's) 8th annual forum at the Hilton Hotel in Colombo as the chief guest, the President said the close integration of the local youth in the IT sector is an immense contribution to future development.

The President told the audience that Sri Lanka with peace prevailing now has embarked upon an avenue of systematic development. The government plans to impart the most advanced communication methodologies to the younger generation through more than 270 Vidartha centers island wide, he said.
Pointing out that Sri Lanka's computer literacy has risen to 30 percent, the President said his government aims to become the leader in the communication in Asia while safeguarding its local identity.
The President also emphasized the importance of English Language for country's development and said the programs launched to promote the English language have been successful.
Over 100 telecom representatives including senior telecom officials from member countries, top executives of telecom firms and experts in the field of telecommunication from across the world take part in the three-day forum themed "Broadband Connectivity for All".
Prime Minister D.M Jayaratna, Ministers, Prof, G.L Peiris, Jeewan Kumaratunga, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Deputy Minister Duminda Dissanayake, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU Malcolm Johnson, Directory General of Telecom Regulatory Commission Anusha Palpita, and foreign and local representatives were present.
(Photos by Sudath Silva)